REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, PANGKALAN BUN -- Experts in Indonesia will study the black box of AirAsia flight QZ8501 that crashed in waters near Pangkalan Bun on Dec. 28, said Nurcahyo Utomo, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT).

According to him, the KNKT has some experts, an adequate laboratory and equipment to investigate the cause of the crash.

"When a Russian-made Sukhoi plane had crashed in Bogor, West Java province, in 2012, the KNKT had successfully decoded its black box data within 2 weeks after its retrieval from the crash site. Although the black box was in a ruined condition, we still managed to process the data and detect the cause of the accident," Nurcahyo explained.

However, Nurcahyo noted, if the KNKT fails to decode the black box data of AirAsia flight QZ8501, the black box will be taken to the company that manufactured it.

"We want to avoid a conflict of interest in revealing the cause of the crash," he added.

AirAsia flight QZ8501, carrying 155 passengers and seven crew members, went missing on Sunday (December 28) morning after losing contact with air traffic control on its way from Surabaya, East Java, to Singapore.

The plane lost contact after its pilot requested to climb to 38 thousand feet from 32 thousand feet to avoid rough weather over the sea between Bangka Belitung and West Kalimantan.

The aircraft took off from Juanda International Airport in Surabaya at 5.36 a.m. local time and lost contact with the Jakarta air traffic control at 6.17 a.m. local time.

The plane, piloted by Captain Iriyanto and First Officer (FO) Remi Emmanuel Plesel, was scheduled to arrive in Singapore at 8.30 a.m. local time.

Until now, search and rescue officials have recovered 40 bodies of passengers.

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