AirAsia Crash Investigation: Pilot Was Not Flying A320 When Accident Happened

As the AirAsia crash investigation continues, information from the black boxes reveal that the pilot was not flying the A320 Airbus. Instead, investigators said co-pilot Remi Plesel was at the helm before flight QZ 8501 plunged into the Java Sea on December 28, 2014.

Lead investigator from Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSB), Mardjono Siswosuwarno, described the flight data recorder as giving a "pretty clear picture" about the sequence of events leading to the ill-fated AirAsia crash.

"The second-in-command, popularly known as the co-pilot, usually sits to the right of the cockpit. At the time, he was flying the plane," Siswosuwarno said, describing Plesel in a report by ABC.net.au. "The captain, sitting to the left, was the pilot monitoring."

Mr. Mardjono added that the AirAsia plane was "flying before the incident within the limits of its weight and balance envelope," and that the flight crew all had correct licenses and medical certificates.

The AirAsia crash investigation has also revealed that there are no findings to support an explosion in mid-air, lack of maintenance, decompression, or foul play as possible causes for the crash.

The Wall Street Journal reported, "Indonesian authorities are delving into what factors may have surprised or confused the first officer, who was much less experienced than the captain, according to two safety experts familiar with the probe."

"Investigators, these people said, seek to determine what caused the nose of the Airbus A320 to point upward at an unusually steep angle, while the plane’s computerized stall-protection systems either malfunctioned or were disengaged."

AirAsia Airbus A320 lost its throttle forward, before stalling and spiraling into the Java Sea.

First Officer Rémi-Emmanuel Plesel was born in the Caribbean territory of Martinique and was a French national, said reports.

AirAsia crash investigators also said it was common practice for first officers to take over. Piesel had approximately 2,200 flying hours and three years with AirAsia, while Captain Iriyanto had 6,000 hours of flight experience with AirAsia.

Investigators also revealed that Captain Piesel was flying the AirAsia A320 Airbus from take off until the voices on the cockpit recorder ended.