Lahore: The K2 Airways cargo flight, which was travelling from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates to Karachi on Tuesday night, lost contact with air traffic control shortly after reporting technical issues. Early flight-tracking data suggests the aircraft may have crashed into the Arabian Sea southwest of Karachi following a series of erratic altitude changes and a rapid final descent.
According to the Pakistan Airports Authority, the aircraft reported a navigational system problem at 9:18pm Pakistan Standard Time while approaching Karachi. Air traffic controllers attempted to assist and guide the aircraft, but communication was lost just three minutes later as radar indicated the plane was descending rapidly. At the time, the aircraft was approximately 287 kilometres west of Karachi.
Flight-tracking platform Flightradar24 showed the 27-year-old converted Boeing 737 freighter descending nearly 5,000 feet in under a minute before climbing about 6,000 feet within 30 seconds. It then entered a dramatic dive from 36,550 feet, with the final transmitted position placing the aircraft at just 1,100 feet above sea level. The recorded descent rate reached minus 22,400 feet per minute.
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Pakistan’s aviation authorities have launched a coordinated search-and-rescue mission at sea to locate the missing aircraft and its five crew members.
K2 Airways said it is fully cooperating with the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority and other government agencies investigating the incident.
Aerospace safety consultant Anthony Brickhouse cautioned against drawing early conclusions, saying the flight data appears highly unusual but that it is too soon to determine what caused the aircraft’s sudden loss.
The missing aircraft belongs to Boeing’s long-running 737 family and is two generations older than the newer 737 MAX model. It is the only aircraft operated by K2 Airways and entered service with the carrier in 2024. Flight records indicate it had not operated since June 28 before undertaking the ill-fated journey.
The cause of the incident remains under investigation as search efforts continue.
