NO TRACE

Search Launched as Boeing 737 Vanishes in Flight

The aircraft, which was carrying five crew members, vanished above the Arabian Sea.

A search operation is underway after a Pakistan-registered Boeing 737 cargo plane carrying five crew members disappeared from radar screens during a flight to Karachi. The K2 Airways aircraft departed Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday when it reported a navigational system malfunction at about 9:18 p.m. local time, according to the Pakistan Airports Authority. Air traffic controllers attempted to assist the crew, but contact was lost just minutes later as the aircraft was flying roughly 186 miles west of Karachi. Flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 indicates the 27-year-old cargo jet may have crashed into the Arabian Sea after a series of dramatic altitude changes. The aircraft reportedly dropped around 5,000 feet in less than a minute, climbed 6,000 feet within 30 seconds, then entered a steep descent from 36,550 feet. Its final transmitted position showed it at 1,100 feet above sea level with an unusually rapid descent rate. Pakistani authorities have launched a multi-agency search-and-rescue mission, while K2 Airways said it is cooperating fully with investigators. “We continue to pray, earnestly, for the safety of our colleagues,” the airline said.