Pilot's last words before Pakistan Boeing 737 vanished over Arabian Sea

The final words of the pilot aboard a Boeing 737 that mysteriously disappeared over the Arabian Sea have been disclosed amid a frantic search operation to locate the crew of the downed aircraft.

Air traffic control lost all communication with the cargo plane, believed to have at least five people on board, on Tuesday, shortly before it rapidly plummeted off the coast of Pakistan.

Civilian and navy searchers off the coast of Pakistan have since located and recovered wreckage from the cargo plane that disappeared while approaching the southern port of Karachi.

The reported last transmission from the pilot indicates he may have been battling to keep the aircraft under control, describing the PNS Zulfiqar as “rolling or floating” — a phrase experts are interpreting as a sign that something had gone seriously wrong with the flight system.

The term rolling is used amongst pilots to describe when an aircraft tilts from side to side. While rolling is frequently performed deliberately during turns, an uncommanded roll can signal a grave problem, such as flight control failure, severe turbulence, structural damage, or asymmetric lift and engine difficulties.

The term floating is typically associated with landing, referring to when pilots remain airborne above the runway rather than touching down, owing to excessive speed or the effects of ground effect, reports the Daily Star.

The Boeing 737 was being operated by Karachi-based K2 Airways on a cargo flight from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates to Karachi when it reported a fault with its navigation system at 9.18pm local time, according to the Civil Aviation Authority. “K2 Airways B 737 of Pakistan Cargo Flight enroute from Sharjah to Karachi reported Navigational system issue and was promptly guided by KARACHI ACC,” Pakistan’s Airport’s Authority said in a statement.

The Civil Aviation Authority confirmed that radar information showed the aircraft rapidly losing height and executing an abrupt directional change at approximately 9.21pm, before both radar and radio communication ceased 155 nautical miles west of Karachi.

Information from flight monitoring platform Flightradar24 showed the aircraft first dropping in altitude, then momentarily gaining height, before experiencing another severe descent.

The final transmitted data positioned the aircraft at 1,100 feet above sea level, with a vertical rate of minus 22,400 feet per minute, according to Reuters news agency. This signifies an exceptionally rapid and unusual rate of descent.

The plane is believed to have dropped a catastrophic 35,000 feet in under two minutes, according to tracking information. A significant operation is currently in progress with the navy and air force mobilised in an urgent search for the crew of the downed cargo aircraft.

The aircraft is amongst Boeing’s decades-old 737s. The 737-400 was originally delivered as a passenger aircraft to Russia’s Aeroflot in 1999, but in 2012 it was converted into a freighter.

It is K2 Airways’ only aircraft and commenced operations with the carrier in 2024. K2 Airways is a private Pakistani cargo carrier based at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi.

Founded in 2017, the airline operated both scheduled and charter freight routes, primarily connecting domestic terminals and regional international destinations.