change in flight path. they wanted to go up to 38,000 feet in order to avoid rough weather that was directly in their path. we re getting word from the weather channel that there was a 50,000 thunderstorm cluster right near the flight path. that is the java sea under which the plane graphic is shown. they lost contact over the java sea. there s no indication, though specifically that weather had anything to do with it. we re getting a live report from a help center at the airport that has been set up. there were 162 people onboard. the breakdown is seven crew members, including seven crew members and 155 passengers. most were indonesians. three from south korea, one from singapore and one from malaysia. that s the co-pilot of the plane there. airasia is a low-cost carrier with presence in several southeastern countries. president obama has been briefed on the situation and stands ready to help if needed. joining me in the studio we have anthony roman, also former flight instr