Article By David Hawkins
Pakistani authorities launched a major search-and-rescue operation after a Boeing 737 cargo plane carrying five crew members vanished over the Arabian Sea while flying from the United Arab Emirates to Karachi.
The aircraft, operated by K2 Airways, disappeared Tuesday evening after the crew reported a navigation system problem, officials said.
K2 Airways Flight 1732 had departed Sharjah earlier in the day and was headed for Karachi when contact was lost around 9:21 p.m. local time.
Officials said radar and radio contact were lost roughly 155 nautical miles west of Karachi.
Just minutes before the aircraft disappeared, the crew reported a “navigation system problem.”
Radar data later showed the plane rapidly descending before contact was lost.
Officials said Wednesday that wreckage had been recovered 53 nautical miles south of Ormara, but no crew members had been found.
Wreckage Found, Crew Still Missing
Pakistani military and civilian authorities were activated after the plane disappeared.
Search-and-rescue operations were launched across the Arabian Sea as officials worked to locate the missing crew.
The Pakistan Navy diverted the PNS Zulfiqar, a frigate, to the search area.
The Pakistan Air Force also deployed aircraft to assist in the operation.
A Pakistan Navy ATR aircraft departed from Turbat, about 270 miles west of Karachi, as part of the search.
The plane was a roughly 27-year-old Boeing 737-400 freighter, registration AP-BOI, according to aviation databases Airfleets.net and Planespotters.net.
It was K2 Airways’ only aircraft.
Rapid Descent Raises Questions
The cause of the crash has not been determined.
Aviation expert Imran Aslam told local outlet ARY News that the aircraft’s rapid descent was unusual.
He noted that even if a plane suffers an engine failure, it would typically continue gliding rather than drop so sharply.
“I still cannot understand how the plane went down so abruptly instead of gliding,” Aslam said, according to the Associated Press.
The final moments of the flight remain under investigation.
The crew’s report of a navigation system problem came shortly before the aircraft disappeared from radar.
Investigators are now expected to review radar data, communications, maintenance records, and any debris recovered from the Arabian Sea.
Pakistan's Search & Rescue operations have successfully located and identified wreckage of K2 Airways Flight 1732 which was declared missing last night. The wreckage was recovered from 53 NM South of Ormara.
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) July 8, 2026
Various air & sea borne assets were employed by PN & PMSA to locate the… pic.twitter.com/NZRrUlVVEL
K2 Airways’ Only Aircraft
K2 Airways’ website says the airline was established in 2018.
Its inaugural Boeing 737-400SF aircraft arrived in Karachi on July 1, 2024.
The company describes its mission as connecting businesses through cargo service.
The airline says its purpose is to “connect businesses by providing safe, efficient, and innovative air cargo,” according to its website.
“We aim to expand our fleet and operations, further solidifying our position as a leader in Pakistan’s aviation,” the site says.
The disappearance has raised new questions about aviation safety in the region as authorities try to determine what caused the freighter to fall from the sky.
For now, rescue crews are continuing to search the Arabian Sea for the missing crew members while investigators piece together the plane’s final moments.
Be the first to comment