A dramatic image appears to show the horrifying final moments of a Boeing 737 carrying five people before it plunged 5,000 feet into the ocean while en route to Karachi.
According to Pakistan’s Airport Authority, the aircraft had departed from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates and was headed for Karachi when the crew reported technical difficulties.
“K2 Airways B 737 of Pakistan Cargo Flight en route from Sharjah to Karachi reported Navigational system issue and was promptly guided by KARACHI ACC,” Pakistan’s Airport Authority said in a statement, according to VT.
A few minutes later, radar detected a “sudden and dramatic loss of altitude” before all contact with the aircraft was lost.
In a statement, the airline said: “K2 Airways’ cargo aircraft Boeing 737-400 Registration AP-BOI, which was going from Sharjah to Karachi last night, lost contact with Air Traffic Control at about 21:21 hours according to Pakistan time.
“Search and Rescue operations are being conducted by the concerned organisations. K2 Airways is fully cooperating with the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority and other government agencies.
“We continue to pray, earnestly, for the safety of our colleagues.”
“Too soon to say what any of it means”
The wreckage was discovered 53 nautical miles south of Ormara after authorities spent around 12 hours searching the waters following the crash. Large sections of the aircraft were recovered from the sea, but officials said the main wreckage has not yet been located.
The five crew members on board – Mohammad Rizwan Idrees (Pilot in Command), Faisal Mehmood (First Officer), Muhammad Toufique Khan (Load Master), Arif Siddiqui (Engineer), and Mohammad Hamid (Engineer) – remain missing.
Now, newly surfaced flight tracking data appears to give a glimpse into the aircraft’s final moments before the crash.
Before it disappeared, the crew reported a navigational systems issue at 9:18 p.m. local time, according to LADbible.
Early ADS-B tracking data shared by FlightRadar24 indicates the aircraft initially descended, then regained altitude before plunging sharply a second time. A playback of the flight appears to show what are believed to be the plane’s final recorded moments before it reportedly crashed into the ocean.
Aerospace safety consultant Anthony Brickhouse told The Guardian: “Anytime you see something extreme like that, it catches your eye, but it is too soon to say what any of it means without more information,” according to LADbible.
Speaking to Pakistan’s ARY News, aviation expert Imran Aslam said the FlightRadar data adds another layer of uncertainty to the incident.
“I still cannot understand how the plane went down so abruptly instead of gliding,” he said, according to LADbible.