Air Asia jet crashed killing 162 after pilots accidentally turned off autopilot

Pilots turning off autopilot by mistake lead to Air Asia jet crash that killed 162 people.

An Air Asia jet carrying 162 people crashed into the Java sea last December when pilots accidentally turned off autopilot due to a faulty part

AN Air Asia passenger jet crash that killed 162 people was triggered by a faulty computer - which led crew to accidently turn off its autopilot system. The pilots then lost control of the aircraft which plunged into the Java sea.

The Air Asia flight plummetted into the Java sea after crew accidentally turned off autopilot due to a faulty component

Flight QZ8501 crashed in bad weather on December 28 during a flight from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore. The Airbus A320 crash sparked an international search.

162 people were killed in the horrific crash last December as it was half way between Surabaya, Indonesia and Singapore

The bodies of 56 victims were never recovered. The report is the result of a year-long investigation.
Officials said the fault to the plane's rudder control system made it send warning alerts to the pilots repeatedly.

The report is the result of a year-long investigation into the cause of the crash

It was a pre-existing fault known to AirAsia maintenance crew. The pilots responded to the warning alerts by resetting the system - a method used previously to address the fault.

Flight recorders suggested bad weather did not cause the downing of the doomed jet

This however caused the autopilot system to disengage, and the plane began to roll to the left. The pilots were unable to right the aircraft, which stalled and then crashed.

Officials said the fault to the plane's rudder control system made it send warning alerts to the pilots repeatedly