AirAsia crash update

Investigators using information from the black boxes recovered from AirAsia flight QZ8501 believe that the plane stalled after making an unusually fast and steep climb, leading to its crash into the Java Sea on Dec. 28.

Before the crash, the pilot had requested permission from ground control to climb above an approaching storm. The plane disappeared from radar before being given instructions on changing course. 

According to the flight recorder, the plane was climbing at 6,000 feet per minute in its final moments, far faster than the recommended 1,000 to 2,000 feet per minute for commercial aircraft.

All 162 passengers and crew on board the plane have been declared dead. As of press time, 73 bodies had been recovered.