'Doomed AirAsia flight climbed faster than a fighter'

The AirAsia flight that went down into the Java Sea, killing all 162 people onboard, ascended too fast before coming to a halt, Indonesia's transport minister has said.

Ignasius Jonan said that the QZ8501 flight climbed up at a speed of 6,000ft (1,828m) per minute at a parliamentary hearing in Jakarta, reported the BBC.

“The plane suddenly went up at a speed above the normal limit that it was able to climb to. Then it stalled.”

He said that no passenger or fighter jet would attempt to ascend so fast.

The plane crashed on December 28 while flying from Surabaya to Singapore. Just moments before the plane disappeared off the radar, the pilot had asked to climb to avoid the storm. He was not immediately granted permission due to heavy air traffic.

Only 53 bodies have been recovered from the sea bed, where the plane's debris is scattered.

Reuters had reported that radar data appeared to show flight QZ8501 had made an "unbelievably" steep climb before it crashed, possibly pushing the jet beyond its limits.