KARACHI: A cargo aircraft operated by K2 Airways has gone missing approximately 155 nautical miles (about 300 kilometers) west of Karachi while en route from Sharjah to Pakistan, prompting a search and rescue operation by authorities .
The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) confirmed in a statement Tuesday night that the Boeing 737-400 freighter, operating as flight KTA-1732, reported a fault in its navigation system at 9:18 PM Pakistan time . Air traffic controllers guided the crew, but at 9:21 PM, radar contact was lost as the aircraft was observed rapidly descending and changing heading .
Flight tracking data indicates the aircraft suddenly turned right before plunging at an alarming descent rate of approximately 15,000 feet per minute . The aircraft’s final ADS-B data point placed it at just 1,100 feet above sea level with a reported vertical rate of -22,400 feet per minute, according to Flightradar24 .
The aircraft, registration AP-BOI, was carrying five crew members on board . Originally entering service as a passenger aircraft in 1999, it was later converted to a freighter and began operations with K2 Airways in 2024 .
Following the loss of contact, the Rescue Coordination Centre was activated, and a coordinated search and rescue operation has been launched through various agencies to locate the missing aircraft . Authorities have not yet officially confirmed a crash, though sources suggest the aircraft may have gone down in the Arabian Sea .
An investigation is expected to examine radar data, flight tracking information, and ATC recordings to determine the circumstances surrounding the disappearance
