Rescuers located the wreckage of a K2 Airways cargo plane on Wednesday, approximately 12 hours after it disappeared off the coast of Karachi, Pakistan. Authorities are continuing their search for the five crew members who were aboard the Boeing 737.
The wreckage was found 53 nautical miles south of the Ormara port, according to the Pakistan Airports Authority. The Pakistan Navy and the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency deployed multiple air and sea assets to aid in the recovery and search operation.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had directed officials to expedite the search for the 27-year-old aircraft, which lost contact after reporting a navigational system issue. K2 Airways stated that the crew consisted of two pilots, two engineers, and one support staffer. While no official status has been declared for the crew, Sharif conveyed his condolences to their families.
Flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 suggests the plane may have entered a steep descent southwest of Karachi following a series of rapid altitude changes. The aircraft reported a navigational system problem at 9:18 p.m. Pakistan Standard Time on Tuesday while en route from Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, to Karachi. Local air traffic control attempted to assist, but radar data indicated a rapid descent, and communication was lost approximately three minutes later. At the time, the flight was about 155 nautical miles west of Karachi.
Flightradar24 data from the final moments of the flight depicted significant altitude fluctuations, including a rapid drop of about 5,000 feet, a subsequent ascent of approximately 6,000 feet, and then a catastrophic dive from an altitude of 36,550 feet. The last transmitted data point showed the aircraft at 1,100 feet above sea level, descending at a rate of minus 22,400 feet per minute.
The aircraft involved is a Boeing 737-400, a model that predates the 737 MAX series. The engines are manufactured by CFM International, a joint venture between GE Aerospace and France's Safran.
US safety expert and former commercial pilot John Cox commented that the available flight-tracking data indicated the crew was likely contending with an issue aboard the aircraft for unknown reasons. He suggested the possibility of the plane stalling and descending at a very high rate in its final moments.
Investigations into air crashes typically take at least a year to conclude and often involve multiple contributing factors. Pakistani authorities, leading the probe under international regulations, have not confirmed the recovery of the aircraft's "black boxes." The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has appointed a representative to assist Pakistan in the investigation, supported by technical advisors from Boeing, GE Aerospace, and the Federal Aviation Administration.
The K2 Airways jet was originally delivered to Aeroflot in 1999 and was converted into a freighter in 2012. It is K2 Airways' sole aircraft and entered service with the carrier in 2024. Its last recorded flight was on June 28.
If the crew is not found, this incident would mark Pakistan's first fatal aviation crash since 2020, when a Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A320 crashed near the Karachi runway, resulting in 97 fatalities.
