A faulty component was a "major factor" when an AirAsia plane crashed into the Java Sea, killing 162 people last December, Indonesian officials say.

The first major report into the crash found that actions by the crew in response to the malfunction also contributed to the disaster.

The Airbus A320-200, going from Surabaya to Singapore, was 40 minutes into the flight when contact was lost.

The report is the result of a year-long investigation.

Officials pinpointed the fault to the plane's rudder control system.

The pilots responded to four warning alerts by resetting the system, which caused the autopilot to disengage, and they lost control of the aircraft.

The plane's wreckage was found days after the crash at the bottom of the Java Sea near Borneo. Only 106 bodies have been retrieved so far.

Most of the passengers were Indonesian.