QZ8501 stalled after climb, no evidence of terrorism: minister

Jakarta

AIRASIA Flight 8501 appears to have stalled after climbing steeply, an Indonesian government minister said, while its cockpit voice recorder provided no evidence of terrorism having brought down the plane.

The Airbus Group NV A320 probably entered a stall, in which the flow of air under the wing is disrupted, causing a loss of lift after an unusually steep ascent, Transport Minister Ignasius Jonan told reporters after a parliamentary hearing in Jakarta where he said the jet climbed at several thousand feet a minute.