Search efforts are continuing for the missing AsiaAir plane that vanished Sunday over the Java Sea while enroute to Singapore from Surabaya, Indonesia.
The Associated Press noted that authorities said the Flight QZ8501 pilot requested to change course because of bad weather, but he was not given permission due to heavy air traffic. Minutes later, the plane disappeared and now officials fear the worst.
"Based on the coordinates that we know, the evaluation would be that any estimated crash position is in the sea, and that the hypothesis is the plane is at the bottom of the sea," said Indonesia search and rescue chief Henry Bambang Soelistyo.
Some media outlets have reported that objects have been found in the search zone, however, it is unclear if they are from the missing jetliner or not. Indonesian authorities told CNN that a possible oil slick found was not from the plane.
News of the missing plane sparks memories of other disasters this year for Malaysian-affiliated airlines, particularly the disappearance of Flight MH370 in March. The plane flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing carrying over 200 passengers has never been found.