A K2 Airways Boeing 737 cargo aircraft is missing after losing radar contact over the Arabian Sea near Karachi, according to Pakistani aviation and flight-tracking reports. The plane, flying from Sharjah to Karachi, disappears while approaching Pakistani airspace roughly 300 kilometres west of Karachi. The Pakistan Airports Authority says the crew reported a navigational system issue at 9:18pm and were guided by the Karachi Area Control Centre. Minutes later, the aircraft is observed on radar rapidly descending and making a sharp change in heading. Communications and radar contact are then lost about 155 nautical miles (around 287 kilometres) west of Karachi.
Flight-tracking data cited by media indicate a loss of altitude followed by a climb, then a second sudden and dramatic drop in altitude. The last received ADS-B data point reportedly places the aircraft at about 1,100 feet above mean sea level, with a steep reported vertical rate. A rescue coordination centre is activated and a coordinated search-and-rescue operation at sea begins involving multiple agencies. The Bureau of Air Safety Investigation is set to examine the circumstances. The aircraft is reported to have five crew members onboard.
