Pilot’s haunting last three words before Boeing 737 mysteriously vanished mid-flight
The last transmission from the pilot of the missing Boeing 737 have been released as a major search operation is launched to find the Karachi-bound K2 Airways jet
The pilot’s final words have been published by officials (Image: Getty)
The final words of the pilot onboard a Boeing 737 that mysteriously vanished over the Arabian sea have been revealed amid a desperate scramble to find the missing jet.
Air traffic control lost contact with the cargo plane, which is believed to have at least five people onboard, on Tuesday before it rapidly descended off the coast of Pakistan.
The reported last transmission from the pilot suggest that he may have been struggling to control the plane as he described the PNS Zulfiqar as “rolling or floating“, which experts are interpreting as suggesting something went wrong with the flying system.
The phrase rolling is used by pilots to describe when a plane tilts from side to side. While rolling is often done intentionally when turning, an uncommanded roll can indicate a serious problem such as flight control failure, severe turbulence, structural damage and asymmetric lift or engine issues.
The phrase floating is normally used during landing, and refers to when pilots stay airborne above the runway instead of touching down because planes are going too fast or encountering ground effect.
The Boeing 737 was being flown by Karachi-based K2 Airways on a cargo flight from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates to Karachi when it reported an issue 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 stated that radar data indicated the aircraft rapidly descending and making a sharp change in direction around 9.21pm, before both radar and radio contact were lost 155 nautical miles west of Karachi.
Data from flight tracking website Flightradar24 revealed the aircraft initially losing altitude, then briefly climbing, followed by another dramatic plunge.
The last transmitted data point located the aircraft at 1,100 feet above sea level, with a vertical rate of minus 22,400 feet per minute, as reported by Reuters news agency. This represents an extraordinarily steep and abnormal rate of descent.
The plane is thought to have plummeted roughly 35,000 feet in less than two minutes, based on tracking data. A major operation is now underway with the navy and air force deployed in a frantic search for the cargo jet.
The aircraft is one of Boeing’s decades-old 737s. The 737-400 was initially delivered as a passenger plane to Russia’s Aeroflot in 1999, but in 2012 it was transformed into a freighter. It is K2 Airways’ sole aircraft and began operating with the carrier in 2024.
K2 Airways is a private Pakistani cargo airline headquartered at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi. Established in 2017, the airline ran scheduled and charter freight services, chiefly linking domestic hubs and regional international destinations.
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