BARELY one hour after takeoff, AirAsia QZ8501 on its Surabaya-Singapore flight suddenly lost contact with air traffic control on December 28. The first clue as to the fate of the 162 passengers and crew came to light two days later. The plane had crashed in the waters of the Karimata Strait, about 100 kilometers from the town of Pangkalan Bun in Central Kalimantan. Tempo found disturbing facts behind the tragedy of families heading to New Year’s celebrations in Singapore. Was it the unpredictable weather or was it pilot error?