The Indonesian transport minister has suggest AirAsia flight QZ8501 may have climbed too fast before it crashed into the Java Sea.

Addressing a parliamentary hearing in Indonesian capital Jakarta, Ignasius Jonan said the plane was climbing at a rate of 6,000ft per minute – beyond the capabilities of most fighter jets.

Some 162 lives were lost when the jet crashed in the Java Sea on December 28th, en route from Surabaya to Singapore.

The Airbus A320-200 is thought to have encountered difficulties during severe weather.

On an average flight a commercial airliner can be expected to climb at a rate of between 2,000-4,000 ft per minute.

A flight data recorder recovered last week is expected to shed further light on the crash once an investigation is complete. 

A preliminary report on the crash is expected on January 28th.