A cargo aircraft went missing about 155 nautical miles west of Karachi after losing contact late Tuesday, according to the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA).
Aviation sources said the missing aircraft is a 27-year-old Boeing 737 operated by a Pakistani cargo airline. The aircraft was flying from Sharjah to Karachi when contact was lost at 9:32 p.m.
Flight tracking data showed that Flight TA1732 was cruising at an altitude of 35,000 feet and a speed of 790 kilometers per hour at 9:17 p.m. before encountering unusual conditions.
K2 Airways B 737 of Pakistan Cargo Flight enroute from Sharjah to Karachi at time 2118PST reported Navigational system issue and was promptly guided by KARACHI ACC.
— Pakistan Airports Authority (@Pk_PAA_Official) July 7, 2026
The data showed the aircraft suddenly made a U-turn before beginning a rapid descent.
Within five minutes, the aircraft lost about 34,000 feet of altitude, dropping to 1,100 feet while slowing to 211 kilometers per hour before disappearing from radar, according to Flight-Radar data.
The PAA said the cargo plane went missing after the crew reported a malfunction in the aircraft's navigation system while in flight.
However; at time 2121PST aircraft was observed on RADAR rapidly descending and with rapid heading change, subsequently RADAR contact and communication was lost approximately 155 NM west of Karachi.
— Pakistan Airports Authority (@Pk_PAA_Official) July 7, 2026
The authority added that the Area Control Center (ACC) immediately provided guidance to the crew after receiving the report.
Following the incident, the Rescue Coordination Center was activated to coordinate search and rescue operations, a PAA spokesperson said.
In 2010, a Russian cargo aircraft carrying eight people crashed into a residential area of Karachi shortly after taking off from the city's airport.
The aircraft was en route to Khartoum, Sudan, when it crashed, killing all eight people on board.
The crash also sparked fires in nearby buildings and prompted a large-scale rescue operation. Officials said at the time that the aircraft lost contact with air traffic control just minutes after takeoff.
Following the occurrence RESCUE COORD CENTRE has been activated and coordinated Search & Rescue launched at sea through various agencies to locate the missing aircraft.
There were five crew members onboard the aircraft.— Pakistan Airports Authority (@Pk_PAA_Official) July 7, 2026
