A cargo plane that vanished from radar off the coast of Pakistan has been confirmed down, with wreckage recovered from the Arabian Sea after a search operation that stretched more than twelve hours. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-400 freighter operated by K2 Airways, was flying from Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, to Karachi, Pakistan, when it disappeared from radar Tuesday evening.
According to the Pakistan Airports Authority, the plane lost contact with air traffic control around 9:18 p.m. local time after reporting a navigational system fault. Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft behaving erratically in its final moments, and search-and-rescue teams later located debris roughly 53 nautical miles south of the coastal town of Ormara, in Pakistan’s Balochistan province.
Five crew members were aboard the flight, and as of the latest reports, none have been found. Officials familiar with the search described the vast search area and rough monsoon seas as significant obstacles for rescue crews. Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, has publicly expressed condolences to the families involved and ordered additional government resources toward the search effort.
This piece lays out what’s known so far about the aircraft, the flight itself, and the ongoing search, based on statements from Pakistani authorities and aviation officials.
What Happened During the Flight
Minutes after reporting the navigation issue, tracking data from Flightradar24 showed the plane losing nearly 5,000 feet of altitude in under a minute, then climbing about 6,000 feet over the following thirty seconds. From there, the aircraft entered a steep, near-vertical descent from roughly 36,550 feet.
Its last recorded position placed it at about 1,100 feet, descending at roughly 22,400 feet per minute. Radar and radio contact were lost approximately 155 nautical miles west of Karachi.
Aviation analysts who reviewed the flight path have called the maneuvers unusual for a routine cargo run, though officials have cautioned that early reports about the cause, including the navigation issue itself, should be treated carefully until investigators complete their work.
The Aircraft Involved
The plane involved was a 27-year-old Boeing 737-400 freighter, registration AP-BOI, with a long operational history. It was originally delivered to Russia’s Aeroflot as a passenger aircraft in 1999, later flew for Garuda Indonesia, and was converted into a cargo plane in 2012 for Belgium’s TNT Airways.
It joined K2 Airways, a Karachi-based cargo carrier, in December 2024 and was reportedly the airline’s only aircraft.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Pakistan has mobilized a large multi-agency response, including naval vessels, air force aircraft, and maritime security assets. The frigate PNS Zulfiqar was diverted to the search area, along with air force surveillance planes and a navy ATR aircraft dispatched from Turbat.
A rescue coordination center has been established to oversee the operation, which remains focused on locating the five missing crew members.
If confirmed as a fatal crash, this would mark Pakistan’s first such incident since 2020, when a Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A320 crashed short of the runway in Karachi, killing 97 people.