The tail section of AirAsia Flight QZ8501 has been found, Indonesian search and rescue chief Bambang Soelistyo said Wednesday.
Searchers have been scouring the choppy waters of the Java Sea for remains from the commercial jet since it lost contact on December 28 with 162 people on board.
Finding the tail section is significant because that is where flight recorders are located in the Airbus 320-200, the aircraft model of Flight QZ8501.
Soelistyo’s said the tail had been found by side-scan sonar in the second priority area where searchers have been looking for wreckage. He said they confirmed it was from the plane from lettering that could be seen on it.
The search and rescue agency released images, one showing what appeared to be the letters A and X, another showing the word “Air” from the AirAsia logo.
Search teams had previously located several large pieces of wreckage believed to be from the plane, but none of them as significant as the tail.
Soelistyo also said Wednesday that another body had been found, bringing the total to 40.