Wreckage Found: K2 Airways Cargo Boeing 737 Crashes into Arabian Sea After Reporting Navigation Problem
After more than 12 hours of an intensive search, Pakistani authorities have located the wreckage of the missing K2 Airways Cargo Boeing 737 in the Arabian Sea off Pakistan’s Karachi coast, confirming fears that the cargo aircraft crashed after losing contact with air traffic control.
The aircraft had departed Sharjah, UAE, for Karachi on Tuesday night with five crew members on board. According to the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA), the crew reported a navigation system issue while approaching Karachi at approximately 9:18 p.m. local time. Just minutes later, radar data showed the aircraft making a sudden heading change before entering a rapid descent. Contact with air traffic control was then lost approximately 155 nautical miles west of Karachi.
Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 indicated the aircraft first lost altitude, briefly climbed, and then entered a second dramatic descent. The final recorded position showed the Boeing 737 at just 1,100 feet with an alarming descent rate of approximately 22,400 feet per minute before all signals disappeared.
One of the most chilling aspects of the tragedy is believed to be the crew’s final radio transmission. According to reports, the pilots informed Karachi Area Control Center, saying, “We are rolling or floating, 1732,” moments before communications ceased. The exact meaning of the transmission remains under investigation.
Search and rescue teams, including the Pakistan Navy, Pakistan Air Force, maritime rescue agencies, and merchant vessels, launched a massive overnight operation. On Wednesday, authorities confirmed that the wreckage had been located in waters off Ormara. However, the search for the five crew members continues.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed deep sorrow over the accident and extended condolences to the families of those on board. He directed all civil and military agencies to use every available resource in the ongoing rescue and recovery operation.
The aircraft involved was a Boeing 737 built in 1999. It originally served as a passenger aircraft before being converted into a dedicated freighter in 2012.
Investigators have not yet determined what caused the aircraft to crash. Aviation experts say it is far too early to draw conclusions, although they note that even with an engine failure, such an unusually steep descent would be highly uncommon. The aircraft also reportedly experienced GNSS interference shortly after departing Sharjah, though investigators have not linked it to the crash.
The investigation is expected to focus on the reported navigation system malfunction, the aircraft’s erratic flight path, the final radio transmission, and the data recovered from the wreckage.
