--- description: One of two data recorders belonging to the AirAsia plane that crashed into the Java Sea on Dec. 28 has been found. title: AirAsia Flight Data Recorder Recovered image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt82c013f527e49ac6/6987796235ba6f4d6ac066f3/461334230.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Aviation](/tag/aviation/) ## Aviation Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The AirAsia Flight 8501 Data Recorder Has Been Retrieved by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 8:06 PM CUTPublished: Jan 12, 2015 3:41 AM CUT  Indonesian crew of the Crest Onyx ship prepare to hoist recovered wreckage of AirAsia flight QZ8501 at port in Kumai on January 11, 2015\. Indonesian divers on January 11 found the crucial black box flight recorder of the AirAsia plane that crashed in the Java Sea a fortnight ago with 162 people aboard, the transport ministry said. Indonesian crew of the Crest Onyx ship prepare to hoist recovered wreckage of AirAsia flight QZ8501 at port in Kumai on January 11, 2015\. Indonesian divers on January 11 found the crucial black box flight recorder of the AirAsia plane that crashed in the Java Sea a fortnight ago with 162 people aboard, the transport ministry said.Adek Berry—AFP/Getty Images by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 8:06 PM CUTPublished: Jan 12, 2015 3:41 AM CUT One of two data recorders belonging to the AirAsia plane that crashed into the Java Sea on Dec. 28 has been brought to the surface, according to Indonesia’s top search and rescue official. F.H. Bambang Soelistyo, the head of Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), told reporters in Jakarta that “we succeeded in bringing up part of the black box that we call the flight data recorder,” the BBC [reports](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30773782 "undefined"). He said recovery had been made at 7:11 a.m. local time. Divers have meanwhile also found the cockpit voice recorder, but are unable to retrieve it because it is buried under heavy wreckage, the Associated Press reports. Investigators hope that the evidence contained in both devices will help explain why the Airbus A320-200 went down with 162 lives lost as it flew from Indonesia’s second city, Surabaya, to Singapore. \[[BBC](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30773782 "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3663278/airasia-qz8501black-box-flight-recorder-found/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3663278/airasia-qz8501black-box-flight-recorder-found/"},"headline":"The AirAsia Flight 8501 Data Recorder Has Been Retrieved","datePublished":"2015-01-12T03:41:59.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-13T20:06:57.000Z","description":"The cockpit voice recorder has also been located but remains buried under wreckage","url":"https://time.com/3663278/airasia-qz8501black-box-flight-recorder-found/","keywords":["Aviation","indonesia","Crash","AirAsia"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt82c013f527e49ac6/6987796235ba6f4d6ac066f3/461334230.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt82c013f527e49ac6/6987796235ba6f4d6ac066f3/461334230.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"INDONESIA-SINGAPORE-MALAYSIA-AVIATION-AIRASIA","caption":"INDONESIA-SINGAPORE-MALAYSIA-AVIATION-AIRASIA","creditText":"Adek Berry—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/aviation/","name":"Aviation"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3663278/airasia-qz8501black-box-flight-recorder-found/","name":"The AirAsia Flight 8501 Data Recorder Has Been Retrieved"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"AirAsia QZ8501: Four Large Objects Found On Sea Floor","description":"Search and rescue teams believe four large objects found on the Java Sea floor are the wreckage of AirAsia flight QZ8501.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/0zj67tXY/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-01-03T16:38:31.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/0zj67tXY.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3663278/airasia-qz8501black-box-flight-recorder-found/","duration":"PT59S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3663278/airasia-qz8501black-box-flight-recorder-found/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```