Captain Iriyanto read the actions for fixing this failure, and rebooted the aircraft's two Flight Augmentation Computers (FACs). The flight was normal until 06:00 when an electronic centralised aircraft monitor (ECAM) memo was displayed, along with a master caution light, to indicate a fault with the rudder limiter system. The plane was in contact with Jakarta air traffic control (ATC). (p14) It joined air route M635, heading north-west out over the western Java Sea. Flight 8501 took off at 05:35 WIB and reached its cruising altitude at flight level (FL) 320 at 9,800 metres (32,000 ft) fourteen minutes later. It was scheduled to depart Juanda International Airport at 05:20 Western Indonesian Time (WIB, UTC+7) and arrive at Singapore Changi Airport at 08:30 Singapore Standard Time (SST, UTC+8).

Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 was a scheduled flight from Surabaya, Java, Indonesia, to Singapore on Sunday, 28 December 2014. Flight path (red) is limited to range of Flightradar24 coverage it does not reflect ATC coverage. Miscommunication between the two pilots was cited as a contributing factor.

Control of the aircraft was subsequently lost, resulting in a stall and uncontrolled descent into the sea. In December 2015, the Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT or NTSC) released a report concluding that a non-critical malfunction in the rudder control system prompted the captain to perform a non-standard reset of the on-board flight control computers. When search operations ended in March 2015, only 116 bodies had been recovered. On 28 December 2014, the Airbus A320 flying the route crashed into the Java Sea, killing all 162 people on board. Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 was a scheduled international passenger flight operated by Indonesia AirAsia from Surabaya, Java, Indonesia, to Singapore. Juanda International Airport, Surabaya, Indonesia PK-AXC, the aircraft involved in the accident, photographed in April 2014

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