A cargo plane operated by K2 Airways has mysteriously vanished off the coast of Karachi, Pakistan, late on Tuesday after a rapid descent and loss of contact with air traffic control. The aircraft, a 27-year-old converted freighter, was en route from the United Arab Emirates when it disappeared.
Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority announced on X that search-and-rescue operations were underway in the Arabian Sea for the missing aircraft, which had five passengers on board. The Boeing 737 was being flown by Karachi-based K2 Airways on a cargo flight from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates to Karachi when it reported an issue with its navigation system at 9.18pm local time, according to the Civil Aviation Authority.
Radar Data Indicates Rapid Descent and Sharp Turn
The Civil Aviation Authority further stated that radar data indicated the aircraft rapidly descending and making a sharp change in direction around 9.21pm, before both radar and radio contact were lost approximately 155 nautical miles west of Karachi. Data from flight tracking website Flightradar24 revealed the aircraft initially losing altitude, then briefly climbing, followed by another dramatic plunge, reports the Express.
The last transmitted data point located the aircraft at 1,100 feet above sea level, with a vertical rate of minus 22,400 feet per minute, as reported by Reuters news agency. This represents an extraordinarily steep and abnormal rate of descent. The plane is thought to have plummeted roughly 35,000 feet in less than two minutes, based on tracking data.
Aircraft History and Operator Details
The aircraft is one of Boeing's decades-old 737s. The 737-400 was initially delivered as a passenger plane to Russia's Aeroflot in 1999, but in 2012 it was transformed into a freighter. It is K2 Airways' sole aircraft and began operating with the carrier in 2024. K2 Airways is a private Pakistani cargo airline headquartered at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi. Established in 2017, the airline ran scheduled and charter freight services, chiefly linking domestic hubs and regional international destinations.
Investigation and Context
There is presently no established cause of the disappearance. Officials have only verified that the crew reported a navigation system malfunction shortly before contact was lost. Investigators will scrutinise flight data, communications and any debris recovered before establishing what occurred. If fatalities are confirmed, the incident would mark the first deadly crash in Pakistan since 2020, when a Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A320 went down short of the runway in Karachi. Ninety-seven perished in that tragedy.
