Co-Pilot Was Flying AirAsia Flight When It Crashed

The co-pilot of AirAsia Flight QZ8501 was controlling the plane before it crashed, according to Indonesian investigators.

This new information comes from the flight data recorder which was recovered from the Java Sea earlier this month, the BBC reports.

The data records that the aircraft climbed sharply before descending, going from 32,000ft (9,750m) to 37,400ft in 30 seconds, then dropping to 32,000ft.

The plane, which crashed en route from Surabaya to Singapore on December 28, had 162 people on board. So far 70 bodies have been recovered. The civilian National Search and Rescue Agency said Wednesday that their search efforts will continue, but could end next week if more bodies aren’t found.

[BBC]

Get The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now.

Please enter a valid email address.

Sign Up Now

Check the box if you do not wish to receive promotional offers via email from TIME.

You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Thank you!

For your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder.

Write to Tessa Berenson at tessa.berenson@time.com.