AirAsia captain left seat before jet lost control: sources

(Reuters) - The captain of the AirAsia jet that crashed into the sea in December was out of his seat conducting an unusual procedure when his co-pilot apparently lost control, and by the time he returned it was too late to save the plane, two people familiar with the investigation said.

Details emerging of the final moments of Flight QZ8501 are likely to focus attention partly on maintenance, procedures and training, though Indonesian officials have not ruled out any cause and stress it is too early to draw firm conclusions.

The Airbus A320 jet plunged into the Java Sea while en route from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Singapore on Dec. 28, killing all 162 people on board.

People familiar with the matter said earlier this week that investigators were examining maintenance records of one of the automated systems, the Flight Augmentation Computer (FAC), and the way the pilots reacted to any outage.

[quote author=The Chairman link=topic=95476.msg615738#msg615738 date=1422714123]
(Reuters) - The captain of the AirAsia jet that crashed into the sea in December was out of his seat conducting an unusual procedure when his co-pilot apparently lost control, and by the time he returned it was too late to save the plane, two people familiar with the investigation said.

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I find that hard to believe. It makes no sense.

What unusual procedure?

I think that the plane was broken and they just don't want to admit that. No inspection was conducted on that plane, that if it were, it's problem would have been found, and that plane found unsuitable for flight. So they're laying the blame on the pilots to throw the scent off of the airline itself. Come on, a co-pilot is supposed to be able to complete the fight if something happens to the chief pilot. What if he had to go to the bathroom?  ::confused::

He can't leave the wheel or else the plane will crack up? I'm sorry, but I cannot buy that story. The plane was broken and unsuitable for flight to begin with.

I also believe there was something wrong with that airplane. Was it poorly maintained?
The pilots barely fly it. They manage the flight's computer system. So what if the pilot or his co-pilot left their seat. The computerized system would take that over for that missing pilot.