AirAsia Flight QZ8501: Pilots 'shut off critical computer system' before doomed passenger jet plunged into sea

After climbing faster than a fighter jet, the passenger plane descended slowly for three minutes as the pilots desperately tried to control the plane

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The pilots of doomed AirAsia flight 8501 shut down a "critical" computer system minutes before it crashed into the Java Sea, killing 162 people on board.

Sources close to the crash investigation told Bloomberg that the pilots cut power to a computer system, which is used to stop aircrafts from going out of control.

At the time the pilots had been trying to deal with a number of alerts from one of the plane's computers, before the entire system was shut off.

It was reported last week that the sound of "screaming" warning alerts filled the cockpit as the pilots tried to stabilise the plane, drowning out their voices.

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However, even with the computer system shut down they should have still been able to fly the passenger jet manually, and the revelation does not shed any light on why the pilots decided to pull the aircraft into an "unbelievably" steep climb.

Investigators revealed earlier this month that the AirAsia plane had climbed faster than a fighter jet in its final minutes - covering 6,000ft per minute.

Earlier in the flight, the pilots had asked air traffic control for permission to fly at a higher altitude to avoid bad weather.

After the steep climb the plane is believed to have stalled, before descending slowly for three minutes.

The pilots are thought to have beem conscious during those three minutes, and were trying to control the plane.

Bloomberg reports that Airbus - the plane's manufacturer - discourages pilots from shutting off power systems as it can affect other components.

Safety consultant John Cox said: "Particularly with an Airbus you don't do that."

At the controls: Co-pilot of the ill fated AirAsia flight QZ8501 Remi Emmanuel Plesel

The plane was being flown by the first officer and not the captain at the time of the crash.

But the jet was said to be in sound condition and all of the crew on board had been properly certified.

While 70 bodies have been recovered from the Java Sea, the Indonesian military has now called off attempts to recover the remaining 90 victims of the aviation disaster.

The Government also stopped efforts to raise the plane's fuselage from the bottom of the ocean, following unsuccessful attempts in terrible weather conditions.

Ertata Lananggalih, an investigator from Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee, would not confirm or deny whether computer systems had been switched off on the plane.