AirAsia Flight 8501: Co-Pilot was Flying Plane at Time of Crash

The AirAsia jet that crashed into the Java Sea in December, killing all 162 people on board, was being piloted by the plane’s co-pilot, not its captain, Indonesian officials said at a Thursday press briefing.

Mardjono SiswoSumarno, Chief Investigator at National Transportation Safety Committee, said the plane’s captain was serving in a monitoring role at the time of the crash, abcnews.com reports.

Authorities are analyzing the plane’s flight data recorder, which was recovered in the weeks following the crash, to better understand what happened aboard the plane.

More than 70 victims’ bodies have been recovered from the wreckage of AirAsia Flight 8501. Earlier this week, Indonesia’s military halted its recovery efforts, including attempts to locate more bodies and raise the fuselage from the sea.

The Indonesian Search and Rescue Agency, however, is continuing to look for victims with its own ships and helicopters.