Eight bodies have been recovered so far from the choppy seas off the coast of Borneo as rescuers race against "time and weather."
On board the plane were the pilot and a mechanic, both of whom worked for Cochise Air.
As bad weather hampers recovery efforts, investigators believe that the pilot climbing too steeply may have caused the plane to stall.
Over 50 divers are preparing to descend to the floor of the Java Sea to explore the suspected wreckage of the AirAsia plane.
And here's the good news: You've been warned.
In 2009, Air France 447 disappeared over the Atlantic and its data-rich black box was almost lost forever. How do we turn "almost" into "never"?
Italian port authorities sent two helicopters with six coast guard officials to rescue the ship after it issued a distress signal.
Indonesia's air force brought the first two bodies recovered from the AirAsia Flight 8501 crash site to Surabaya.
On the fourth day of a multinational search operation, Indonesian officials said that they had found the missing Airbus A320 in the Java Sea.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501 has been found, but nine months into the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, no evidence has been recovered.
The family of the plane's commander, Capt. Iriyanto, had only days ago seen his brother die from diabetes.
A nearly three-day-long search operation in the Java Sea has led to the recovery on Tuesday of debris and bodies from AirAsia Flight QZ8501.
Footage of search teams recovering a body from the sea was shown live to relatives at Surabaya airport.
The flight was scheduled to depart at 3:10 p.m., local time, from Manila, but took off about two hours later due to bad weather.
The AirAsia plane's disappearance triggered comparisons with Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which has yet to be found.
Images of rescue operations for AirAsia flight QZ 8501 and relatives of the missing people at the Juanda International Airport, Surabaya.
The AirAsia flight from Surabaya to Singapore is feared to have crashed Sunday. By Tuesday, at least 40 bodies were recovered from the Java Sea.
Indonesian officials reportedly told local television that debris spotted in the Java Sea belonged to AirAsia Flight QZ8501.
Smoke is seen coming from an island as the search for AirAsia flight 8501 enters a third day.
Countries around Asia on Tuesday stepped up the search for an AirAsia plane carrying 162 people that is presumed to have crashed in shallow waters off the Indonesian coast, with Washington also sending a warship to help find the missing jet.
With the case of Flight 8501, low-cost Asian carriers' safety standards are being scrutinized more now.
A Fox News commentator's assertion that the use of the metric system was behind the disappearance of AirAsia Flight QZ8501 is not supported by evidence or endorsed by aviation experts.
Indonesia has sent a ship to test an oil patch found in the reported location of the downed AirAsia plane to see if it is aircraft fuel.
An article in AirAsia's in-flight magazine has come under renewed scrutiny as authorities still search for any sign of missing flight QZ8501.
Allianz is believed to be also facing insurance liabilities of nearly $200 million for the loss of Malaysia Airlines Flights MH370 and MH17.
In recent weeks, the region has witnessed severe thunderstorms and dense cumulonimbus clouds rising to a height of nearly 45,000 feet.
An Indonesian air force spokesperson reportedly said that "oil spills were found on the search area" for the missing AirAsia Flight QZ8501.
AirAsia's stock fell nearly 8 percent on Monday, making it the biggest one-day drop in more than three years for the company.
Officials says there were 478 passengers and crew members on the Norman Atlantic at the time of the fire.
The Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 plane model has had just 54 incidents during 85 million flights since 1988.