Pakistan cargo plane with five crew missing off Karachi after navigation failure
A Pakistan-registered Boeing 737 freighter with five crew on board lost contact with air traffic control on Tuesday night after reporting a navigational system problem on its approach to Karachi from Sharjah.
The incident
A Boeing 737-400 cargo plane operated by K2 Airways disappeared from radar over the Arabian Sea on Tuesday evening. The aircraft was en route from Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, to Karachi, Pakistan, when the crew reported a navigational system issue at 9:18 p.m. local time (16:18 GMT). Air traffic control attempted to guide the plane, but three minutes later, at 9:21 p.m., radar showed a rapid descent and all communication was lost. The last transmitted data point placed the aircraft at 1,100 feet above sea level, descending at a rate of 22,400 feet per minute, an extremely steep and abnormal descent.
- Crew reports navigational system problem
- Radar shows rapid descent; communication lost; last data at 1,100 ft, -22,400 ft/min
- Search and rescue operation launched by multiple agencies
Aircraft and crew
The 27-year-old aircraft, a Boeing 737-400 converted freighter, first entered service as a passenger plane with Aeroflot in 1999 and was converted to cargo use in 2012. It joined K2 Airways in 2024 and is the carrier's only aircraft. Five crew members were on board. K2 Airways, a private cargo airline founded in 2018 and based in Karachi, identified the crew in a statement and said it was fully cooperating with authorities.
We continue to pray, earnestly, for the safety of our colleagues.
Search and rescue
Pakistan's airport authority activated the Rescue Coordination Centre and launched a coordinated search operation at sea, involving the navy, air force, and other agencies. The search is focused on the Arabian Sea near Ormara in Balochistan, approximately 155 nautical miles (287 km) west of Karachi. No wreckage or survivors had been located as of early Wednesday.
Context
If casualties are confirmed, this would be the first fatal aviation accident in Pakistan since 2020, when a Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A320 crashed short of the runway in Karachi, killing 97 of the 99 people on board. Boeing and K2 Airways did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
