An urgent search operation is underway for a Boeing 737 cargo aircraft with five crew members on board that lost contact with air traffic control suddenly on Tuesday evening.
The plane, registered in Pakistan, encountered a navigational system problem while en route from the United Arab Emirates to Karachi, Pakistan, before descending rapidly and becoming unresponsive.
Data from Flightradar24 indicates that the aircraft dropped approximately 5,000 feet in under a minute, then climbed 6,000 feet in just half a minute before descending from 36,550 feet.
The last known data point placed the plane at 1,100 feet above sea level with a steep descent rate of minus 22,400 feet per minute, equivalent to about 400 kilometers per hour.
Aerospace safety consultant Anthony Brickhouse remarked on the extreme nature of the descent but emphasized the need for more information to draw conclusions.
An aviation expert expressed confusion over the sudden disappearance from radar, noting that even in case of engine failure, an aircraft would typically glide rather than experience a sudden plunge.
A joint search-and-rescue mission at sea involving multiple agencies is underway to locate the missing aircraft, as confirmed by the Pakistan Airports Authority.
The missing aircraft is a Boeing 737-400, originally delivered as a passenger plane to Aeroflot in 1999 and later converted to a freighter in 2012. It is the sole aircraft of K2 Airways and was put into service by the carrier in 2024.
K2 Airways released a statement identifying the crew members on board the cargo plane that went missing during the Sharjah to Karachi flight, expressing full cooperation with authorities and hoping for the safety of their colleagues.
The Pakistan Aerospace Council expressed solidarity with K2 Airways and the crew, extending thoughts and support during the ongoing search efforts for the missing plane.