(CNN) The way pilots responded to a technical malfunction resulted in the crash of an AirAsia flight into the Java Sea , killing all 162 people on board, investigators said Tuesday.

AirAsia Flight 8501 was en route to Singapore from the Indonesian city of Surabaya on December 28 last year when it crashed.

It was one in a string of aviation disasters that occurred in Asia in 2014, including the mysterious disappearance of MH370 over the Indian Ocean and the crash of TransAsia Flight 222 on a Taiwanese island

In the AirAsia disaster, the system that regulates the plane's rudder movement kept malfunctioning because of a cracked solder joint. Aircraft maintenance records found it had malfunctioned 23 times in the year before the crash, and the interval between those incidents became shorter in the three months prior to the crash, Indonesia's National Transport Safety Committee said in a report.

"Subsequent flight crew action resulted in inability to control the aircraft ... causing the aircraft to depart from the normal flight envelope and enter a prolonged stall condition that was beyond the capability of the flight crew to recover," the report said.

In other words, "it's a series of technical failures, but it's the pilot response that leads to the plane crashing," CNN's aviation correspondent Richard Quest said.

Pilot training weakness

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The investigation, a joint effort involving Australian, French, Singaporean and Malaysian authorities, points to weaknesses in pilot training in dealing with upsets, or when an aircraft is angled greater than 45 degrees.

"Our recommendation to AirAsia is to train their pilots flying the Airbus plane on how to make an upset recovery," investigator Nurcahyo Utomo said.

The AirAsia pilots had not been trained for that scenario, he added, because the manual provided by the plane's manufacturer said the aircraft, an Airbus 320, was designed to prevent it from becoming upset and therefore upset recovery training was unnecessary.

AirAsia has since required upset recovery training for its pilots, Utomo said.

Utomo also said the cockpit voice recorder showed confusing instructions from the captain to the co-pilot who was manning the controls at the time.

"The most interesting part that could be heard from the CVR is that whenever the plane went up, the captain said 'pull down.' ... To go down, the captain has to say 'push,' while to go up, the captain has to say 'pull' in reference to moving the side stick handle."

Cruising involves such high speeds, CNN's Quest said, that pilots responding without complete precision can often be disastrous.

"A huge amount of training is done on takeoff and landing and traditionally, of course, is 70-80% (of when accidents take place); only 10% takes (place) in the cruise phase of flight. But if something does happen in the cruise phase of flight, it does typically end up fatal."

Plane ascended rapidly before crash

Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Crews remove the fuselage of AirAsia Flight QZ8501 from a vessel at the Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Monday, March 2. AirAsia Flight QZ8501 was en route from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Singapore when it lost contact with air traffic control on December 28. There were 162 people on board. Hide Caption 1 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 The fuselage is lifted from the Java Sea during the recovery mission on March 2. Hide Caption 2 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Indonesian search and rescue personnel unload recovered bodies at the Kumai seaport on Sunday, February 8. Hide Caption 3 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Workers load the tail of the plane onto a truck February 7 at the Kumai seaport. Hide Caption 4 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Crew members inspect body bags on the deck of a ship in the Java Sea on Friday, January 23. Hide Caption 5 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 A police officer stands guard near pieces of the plane's wreckage at a warehouse in Pangkalan Bun, Indonesia, on Monday, January 19. Hide Caption 6 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 This photo, taken by a remotely operated underwater vehicle and released Wednesday, January 14, by Singapore's Defense Ministry, shows part of the plane's fuselage lying on the floor of the Java Sea. Hide Caption 7 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Indonesian officials remove the cockpit voice recorder from AirAsia Flight QZ8501 on Tuesday, January 13. Indonesian divers retrieved it from beneath the wreckage of the plane. Hide Caption 8 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 A flight data recorder was retrieved from the Java Sea on Monday, January 12. Hide Caption 9 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 An Indonesian worker cuts part of the plane's tail January 12 after debris from the crash was retrieved from the Java Sea. Hide Caption 10 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 A portion of the plane's tail section is seen on the deck of a rescue ship after it was recovered from the Java Sea on Saturday, January 10. Hide Caption 11 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 An Indonesian rescue helicopter flies during search operations in the Java Sea on Friday, January 9. Hide Caption 12 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Search personnel unload the body of a victim upon arriving at the airport in Pangkalan Bun on January 9. Hide Caption 13 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Members of the Indonesian Search and Rescue Agency carry pieces of the jet in Pangkalan Bun on January 9. Hide Caption 14 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 There was a major breakthrough in the search for the wreckage on Wednesday, January 7. Indonesian search and rescue officials released an image of the plane's tail section as seen on the floor of the Java Sea. Hide Caption 15 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Writing could be made out, showing the AirAsia insignia and other identifying features. The find is important because the plane's flight recorders were located in the tail section. Hide Caption 16 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Divers were sent to take images of the section after metal detectors identified large objects in the water where officials were searching for the lost plane. Hide Caption 17 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Search and rescue personnel carry seats from the flight on Monday, January 5. Hide Caption 18 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 An Indonesian navy member holds a piece of window panel that was recovered during search operations. Hide Caption 19 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Crew members in an Indonesian air force helicopter look out of the windows over the Java Sea during a search operation on Sunday, January 4. Hide Caption 20 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Members of an Indonesian search and rescue team carry items recovered from the search area in Pangkalan Bun on January 4. Hide Caption 21 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Members of the Mawar Sharon Church attend a prayer service for the relatives of lost loved ones January 4 in Surabaya, Indonesia. Hide Caption 22 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Indonesian navy officers coordinate the recovery of bodies taken to the vessel KRI Banda Aceh during recovery operations on Saturday, January 3. Hide Caption 23 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Members of the Indonesian navy return to the vessel with remains recovered from the crash area. Hide Caption 24 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Recovered victims are placed on the deck of the Indonesian ship on January 3. Hide Caption 25 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Members of an Indonesian search team carry a coffin at Iskandar Air Base on Friday, January 2. Hide Caption 26 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Relatives and friends grieve as they attend a ceremony January 2 in Surabaya. Hide Caption 27 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 A member of the Indonesian Red Cross prepares coffins at a hospital in Pangkalan Bun on January 2. Hide Caption 28 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Members of the National Search and Rescue Agency and Indonesian soldiers carry coffins containing bodies of victims in Pangkalan Bun on January 2. Hide Caption 29 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 This photograph released by the Singapore Defense Ministry shows the front and back of a piece of debris that resembles an aircraft window panel. Hide Caption 30 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Members of a search and rescue team carry the body of a victim in Pangkalan Bun on Thursday, January 1. Hide Caption 31 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Marine divers prepare their gear on the deck of a ship before searching for passengers and debris January 1 at Kumai port in Pangkalan Bun. Hide Caption 32 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Indonesian soldiers carry a victim's coffin upon arrival at an air force base in Surabaya on Wednesday, December 31. Hide Caption 33 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Indonesian soldiers carry coffins of crash victims on December 31. Hide Caption 34 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Relatives of passengers pray together inside a holding room at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya on December 31. Hide Caption 35 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Indonesian air force personnel show debris, including a suitcase, that was found floating near the site where the AirAsia flight disappeared. Hide Caption 36 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Debris floats in the Java Sea on December 30. Hide Caption 37 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 A member of the Indonesian navy monitors a radar screen during a search operation over the waters near Bangka Island, Indonesia, on December 30. Hide Caption 38 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Family members of missing passengers react at an airport in Surabaya after watching news reports on December 30. Hide Caption 39 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Debris floats in the Java Sea on December 30. Hide Caption 40 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Relatives of missing passengers comfort each other December 30 at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya. Hide Caption 41 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Relatives gather at Juanda International Airport as they wait for news on December 30. Hide Caption 42 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 An Indonesian military airman looks out the window of an airplane during a search over the waters of Karimata Strait on Monday, December 29. Hide Caption 43 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Members of Indonesia's Marine Police pray before a search operation on December 29. Hide Caption 44 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Military personnel perform a search operation on Sunday, December 28. Hide Caption 45 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Sunu Widyatmoko, CEO of Indonesia AirAsia, gives a press conference in Surabaya announcing that the flight lost contact with air traffic control. Hide Caption 46 of 47 Photos: The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 An official from Indonesia's national search and rescue agency points to the position where AirAsia Flight QZ8501 went missing. Hide Caption 47 of 47

Preliminary findings from Indonesia's NTSC earlier this year said roughly 35 minutes into the two-hour flight, the pilot asked air traffic control for permission to climb to avoid stormy weather.

The plane went from cruising at 32,000 feet, ascending steeply to 37,400 feet in about 30 seconds -- something commercial planes are not designed to do. It may have been climbing at a rate twice as fast as it could and should, one analyst told CNN.

Minutes later, the plane disappeared from radar.

Although the area was experiencing turbulent weather patterns, seven other planes flying nearby landed safely.

Malaysia-based AirAsia did not have the clearance to fly the route on that particular day.

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Indonesia's NTSC issued several recommendations to AirAsia and Airbus as well as Indonesian, U.S. and European aviation regulatory bodies, but the statement did not detail what they are.