Karachi, Pakistan. A Pakistan-registered Boeing 737 cargo plane carrying five crew members lost contact with air traffic control on Tuesday night after reporting a navigational system problem while flying toward Karachi, authorities said. A search and rescue operation has been launched at sea after flight data indicated the aircraft may have crashed southwest of the city.
Search operation launched
Pakistan aviation authorities said various agencies were conducting a coordinated search and rescue operation at sea to locate the missing aircraft, according to a statement posted by the Pakistan Airports Authority on Facebook.
Aircraft and operator details
The 27-year-old converted freighter was operated by K2 Airways and was flying from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates to Karachi. K2 Airways said it was cooperating with the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority and other government agencies.
“We continue to pray, earnestly, for the safety of our colleagues,” the aircraft operator said on Facebook.
Boeing did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Loss of contact
The Pakistan Airports Authority said the plane reported a navigational system issue at 9:18 p.m. Pakistan Standard Time while en route to Karachi. Local air traffic control attempted to guide the aircraft, but three minutes later radar systems showed it descending rapidly and communication was lost.
The aircraft was about 155 nautical miles, or 287 kilometres, west of Karachi when contact was lost, according to the authority.
Flight data indications
Early flight data from Flightradar24 indicated the aircraft possibly crashed into the sea southwest of Karachi after a series of sharp altitude changes followed by a steep final descent.
According to the tracking data, the plane dropped about 5,000 feet in less than a minute, then climbed about 6,000 feet in 30 seconds before entering a final dive from 36,550 feet.
The last transmitted data point showed the aircraft at 1,100 feet above sea level, with a vertical rate of minus 22,400 feet per minute, or about 400 kilometres per hour, indicating an extremely steep descent.
