A K2 Airways-operated Boeing 737 freighter carrying five crew members lost contact with air traffic control late Tuesday, Pakistani aviation authorities said, after reporting a problem with its navigational system during a flight from Sharjah to Karachi.
According to the Pakistan Airports Authority, the crew communicated a navigational system malfunction at 21:18 Pakistan Standard Time while the aircraft was en route to Karachi. Radar and radio contact were lost roughly 155 nautical miles to the west of Karachi, the authority said.
Before communication and radar returns ceased, controllers observed the aircraft on radar making a rapid descent combined with a rapid change of heading, the Pakistan Airports Authority stated. That sequence of events was reported by the authority but no further operational details about the aircrafts final position or status were provided.
In response, Pakistani aviation agencies initiated a search and rescue operation concentrated at sea. Multiple agencies were mobilized to locate the missing freighter and its crew, the authority said. Details on the specific agencies involved or assets deployed were not disclosed in the authoritys statement.
The Pakistan Airports Authoritys brief public account contains the core facts available at this stage: a declared navigational system problem at 21:18 PST, subsequent rapid descent and heading change seen on radar, and the loss of radar and radio contact approximately 155 nautical miles west of Karachi. Authorities have launched an at-sea search and rescue effort through several agencies to locate the aircraft and its five crew members.
Summary
A K2 Airways cargo Boeing 737 reported a navigational system failure at 21:18 PST while flying from Sharjah to Karachi, then was seen on radar rapidly descending and changing heading. Radar and communications were lost about 155 nautical miles west of Karachi. Pakistani authorities have started a multi-agency maritime search and rescue operation to find the aircraft and five crew members.
Key points
- The aircraft reported a navigational system problem at 21:18 PST while en route from Sharjah to Karachi.
- Radar showed a rapid descent and rapid change of heading before radar and communications were lost about 155 nautical miles west of Karachi.
- Pakistani aviation authorities have launched a sea-based search and rescue operation involving multiple agencies to locate the missing cargo plane and its five crew members.
Risks and uncertainties
- Unconfirmed status of the aircraft and crew - the Pakistan Airports Authority reported loss of contact but has not provided information on the aircrafts final status or location.
- Limited operational details disclosed - the authority cited radar observations and the navigational system report, but did not specify the causes or contributing factors to the observed maneuvers and subsequent loss of contact.
- Search environment at sea - authorities are conducting a maritime search and rescue operation, but the public statement did not detail assets, scope, or timeline for the search.