AirAsia jet's tail lifted from sea, but no black boxes found

PANGKALAN BUN, Indonesia (AP) -- A tail section from the AirAsia plane that crashed into the Java Sea late last month, killing all 162 people on board, became the first major wreckage lifted off the ocean floor Saturday, but the all-important black boxes were not found inside.<br /> <br /> The red metal chunk, with the words "AirAsia" clearly visible across it, was brought to the surface using inflatable balloons.<br /> <br /> The cockpit voice and flight data recorders, located in the plane's rear, must have detached when the Airbus A320 plummeted into the waters Dec. 28, said Indonesian military commander Gen. Moeldoko. Their recovery is essential to finding out why Flight 8501 crashed.<br /> <br /> However, Moeldoko, who like many Indonesians uses only one name, said pings believed to be coming from the black boxes were detected Saturday. Their beacons emit signals for about 30 days until the batteries die, meaning divers have about two weeks left to find them.<br /> <br /> "I am fully confident that the black boxes are still not far from the tail," Moeldoko said.