Search operation launched after K2 Airways freighter goes missing off the coast.
Pakistan launched a search operation Wednesday for a Boeing cargo aircraft that disappeared off the coast of Karachi after radar data showed the plane was “rapidly descending,” according to the Pakistan Airport Authority (PAA).
The aircraft, operated by private carrier K2 Airways, was carrying five crew members and was flying from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates to Karachi when contact was lost on Tuesday evening. Authorities said the crew had reported a “navigational system issue” before the aircraft went missing.
At 9:21 p.m. Pakistan time, radar detected the aircraft “rapidly descending” while making a sharp change in heading, before communication with the plane was lost, the Pakistan Airport Authority (PAA) said.
The aircraft disappeared from radar approximately 155 nautical miles west of Karachi, prompting authorities to begin search and rescue efforts in the area.
A rescue coordination center was activated, and a search operation was launched at sea to locate the missing aircraft, the Pakistan Airport Authority said.
Preliminary flight data indicated the aircraft first lost altitude, briefly climbed again, and then suffered a second, sharp descent before disappearing, according to flight-tracking service Flightradar24.
K2 Airways is a privately owned Pakistani cargo carrier that operates scheduled and charter freight services on domestic and international routes.
The Boeing aircraft, built in 1999, originally served as a passenger jet with Aeroflot and Garuda Indonesia before being converted into a freighter in 2012, according to aviation database Airfleets.net.
