A Boeing 737 cargo aircraft operated by Pakistani carrier K2 Airways lost contact with air traffic controllers late on Tuesday night while approaching Karachi from Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates, sparking a search-and-rescue operation in the Arabian Sea. The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) confirmed that five crew members were on board when communication was lost approximately 287 kilometres west of Karachi.

The aircraft reported a navigational system problem at 9:18pm Pakistan Standard Time, prompting air traffic controllers at the Karachi Area Control Centre to attempt to guide the plane. Just three minutes later, radar showed the aircraft descending rapidly and making a sharp change in heading before all radar contact and communication were lost. Flight-tracking service Flightradar24 reported that preliminary ADS-B data showed a loss of altitude followed by a climb, then a second sudden and dramatic loss of altitude. The final data point placed the aircraft at 1,100 feet above sea level with a vertical rate of minus 22,400 feet per minute — an extremely steep and abnormal rate of descent.