A Pakistan-registered Boeing 737 cargo plane with five crew members on board lost contact with air traffic control on the night of July 7 after reporting a navigational system problem on its way from Sharjah to Karachi, Pakistan aviation authorities said.
Early flight data indicated the 27-year-old converted freighter operated by K2 Airways had possibly crashed into the sea south-west of Karachi after a series of sharp altitude changes before a steep final descent, according to flight-tracking service Flightradar24.
Authorities have launched a coordinated search and rescue operation at sea through various agencies to locate the missing plane, Pakistan Airports Authority said on Facebook.
The plane reported a navigational system issue at 9.18pm (12.18am on July 8 in Singapore) while flying towards Karachi, the airports authority said.
Local air traffic control tried to guide the aircraft, but three minutes later, radar systems showed the aircraft descending rapidly and communication was lost, the authority said.
The flight was about 155 nautical miles (287km) west of Karachi at the time, according to the statement.
The aircraft went missing while flying over the Arabian Sea near Ormara in Balochistan, Pakistan local media Geo News said.
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