Cargo plane disappears from radar over Arabian Sea off Karachi

RAWALPINDI: A cargo aircraft belonging to the K2 Airways Boeing 737-400 plane flying from Sharjah to Karachi vanished in the Arabian Sea, around 300 kilometers west of Karachi, on Tuesday.

It is being reported that the airplane went out of contact around 300 kilometers west of Karachi as it was nearing Pakistani airspace.

The pilot of the airplane communicated about the navigational issue he was experiencing mid-air and asked for help from the area control center.

"The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) has stated that a K2 Airways B737 Pakistan Cargo airplane flying from Sharjah to Karachi had a navigational system problem and was promptly guided by the Karachi Area Control Center (ACC) at 9:18 pm,"

However, three minutes later, at 9:21 pm, the airplane appeared on radar descending sharply and changing its course. Radar and communication with the airplane were lost shortly after 155 nautical miles (287 kilometers) west of Karachi. A search operation was conducted after this incident.

Five people were onboard the airplane, the PAA added.

The Bureau of Air Safety Investigation will conduct an investigation into the crash of the aircraft.