The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PAA) has confirmed that on Tuesday, July 8, a Boeing 737-400 cargo aircraft KTA132 (registration AP-BOI) operated by K2 Airways and departing from Sharjah (SHJ) in the United Arab Emirates at 19:02 (GST) and heading to Karachi (KHI), reported a navigational system issue around 9:18 p.m. (PKT). Whilst local air traffic control tried to guide the aircraft, three minutes later, they lost contact, about 287 km west of Karachi.
Five crew members on board
According to data from Flightradar24, the aircraft descended about 5,000 feet in less than a minute, ascended 6,000 feet in just 30 seconds, and then dived from 36,550 feet. A steep and abnormal rate of descent was then recorded at minus 22,400 feet per minute, with the last transmitted data point placing the aircraft 1,100 feet above sea level. The image above from AirNav Radar Systems shows the last tracked vertical speed of -10.08 m/s.
A coordinated multi-agency sea search-and-rescue operation has been launched to find the missing plane, confirmed to have five crew members on board. The Guardian reported that the K2 aircraft has been in service since 2024 and was last flown on June 28.
Messages of hope
A Facebook post by K2 Airways named the five crew members and said:
“K2 Airways is fully cooperating with the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority and other government agencies. We continue to pray, earnestly, for our colleagues.”
The post has so far received 19 comments, including one from the Pakistan Aerospace Council, which said:
“The Pakistan Aerospace Council (PAeC) stands in solidarity with K2 Airways during this difficult time. Our thoughts are with the crew, their families, and all those awaiting updates. We sincerely hope for positive news from the ongoing search efforts.”
Aircraft that go missing are usually located, except in the case of the infamous Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 on March 8, 2014, which has yet to be found.
Our best wishes go to all involved. More to follow on this breaking story as it unfolds.
