Pak cargo plane with five on board loses contact near Karachi after tech glitch
A Pakistan-registered K2 Airways cargo Boeing 737 lost contact with controllers after reporting a navigational system problem on a Sharjah-Karachi flight.
A Pakistan-registered Boeing 737 cargo aircraft carrying five crew members lost contact with air traffic control on Tuesday night after reporting a navigational system problem while flying from Sharjah to Karachi, prompting Pakistani authorities to launch a search and rescue operation.
The 27-year-old converted freighter, operated by K2 Airways, reported a navigational system issue at 9:18 pm Pakistan Standard Time while flying toward Karachi, the Pakistan Airports Authority said.
According to the authority, local air traffic controllers attempted to guide the aircraft after it reported the problem. However, radar systems showed the plane descending rapidly about three minutes later, and communication with the aircraft was lost. The authority said the flight was about 155 nautical miles (287 km) west of Karachi at the time.
The Pakistan Airports Authority said it has launched a coordinated search and rescue operation at sea through various agencies to locate the missing aircraft.
Early flight data indicated the aircraft may have crashed into the sea southwest of Karachi after a series of sharp altitude changes followed by a steep final descent, according to flight-tracking service Flightradar24.
The aircraft went missing while flying over the Arabian Sea near Ormara in Pakistan's Balochistan province, local broadcaster Geo News reported.
Flightradar24 said flight data showed the aircraft first lost altitude, then briefly climbed before a second, sudden and dramatic drop. The service added that the last transmitted data point placed the aircraft at 1,100 feet above sea level, with a vertical rate of minus 22,400 feet per minute, an extremely steep and abnormal rate of descent.
The missing aircraft was a Boeing 737-400 and the only aircraft operated by private cargo airline K2 Airways. The carrier brought the aircraft into service in 2024.
The aircraft originally entered service as a passenger jet with Russia's Aeroflot in 1999 before it was converted into a freighter in 2012, according to Flightradar24.
A Pakistan-registered Boeing 737 cargo aircraft carrying five crew members lost contact with air traffic control on Tuesday night after reporting a navigational system problem while flying from Sharjah to Karachi, prompting Pakistani authorities to launch a search and rescue operation.
The 27-year-old converted freighter, operated by K2 Airways, reported a navigational system issue at 9:18 pm Pakistan Standard Time while flying toward Karachi, the Pakistan Airports Authority said.
According to the authority, local air traffic controllers attempted to guide the aircraft after it reported the problem. However, radar systems showed the plane descending rapidly about three minutes later, and communication with the aircraft was lost. The authority said the flight was about 155 nautical miles (287 km) west of Karachi at the time.
The Pakistan Airports Authority said it has launched a coordinated search and rescue operation at sea through various agencies to locate the missing aircraft.
Early flight data indicated the aircraft may have crashed into the sea southwest of Karachi after a series of sharp altitude changes followed by a steep final descent, according to flight-tracking service Flightradar24.
The aircraft went missing while flying over the Arabian Sea near Ormara in Pakistan's Balochistan province, local broadcaster Geo News reported.
Flightradar24 said flight data showed the aircraft first lost altitude, then briefly climbed before a second, sudden and dramatic drop. The service added that the last transmitted data point placed the aircraft at 1,100 feet above sea level, with a vertical rate of minus 22,400 feet per minute, an extremely steep and abnormal rate of descent.
The missing aircraft was a Boeing 737-400 and the only aircraft operated by private cargo airline K2 Airways. The carrier brought the aircraft into service in 2024.
The aircraft originally entered service as a passenger jet with Russia's Aeroflot in 1999 before it was converted into a freighter in 2012, according to Flightradar24.
