KUALA LUMPUR: The missing Indonesia AirAsia Flight QZ8501 may have inadvertently encountered clear-air turbulence (CAT) because of the severe weather in East Belintung, experts say.
Based on a Transport Ministry statement, the aircraft lost contact with Jakarta air traffic control at 7.18am, moments after the pilot had requested to climb to 38,000 feet.
Dynamic meteorologist Prof Datuk Dr Azizan Abu Samah of Universiti Malaya said because of the difficulty in detecting CAT, flight QZ8501 could have encountered severe turbulence as it moved away from the clouds as aircraft encounters with CAT often occured along the borders of jet streams, hitting currents of air thousands of miles long at more than 100kph.
Universiti Kuala Lumpur research and innovation head Associate Professor Captain Dr Mohd Harridon Mohamed Suffian said aircraft could suffer structural mid-air breakup upon experiencing severe CAT as continuous extreme vibrations could result in metal fatigue.
“In laboratory tests with similar weather conditions, there were cases of structural disintegration,” he said, adding there were a number necessary operating procedures for pilots experiencing CAT. This includes an immediate communication of position, altitude and velocity of the turbulence to air traffic controllers to warn other aircraft.
Based on a How Stuff Works report, CAT accounts for most turbulence-related injuries as pilots have no time to warn passengers and flight attendants to strap in. Nearly seven of 10 turbulence incidents were a result of encounters of the clear-air variety.