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Sharjah-Karachi cargo plane crash: How technology helps track missing flights
Investigators piece together a trail from radar, aircraft transponders, ADS-B data, satellite systems, air traffic control recordings and, eventually, the aircraft’s flight recorders
- PUBLISHED: Wed 8 Jul 2026, 5:59 PM
[Editor's Note: Follow Khaleej Times' live coverage as the search for the Sharjah-Karachi cargo plane that crashed into the Arabian Sea continues]
When an aircraft goes missing, investigators do not rely on a single signal to find out where it went. They piece together a trail from radar, aircraft transponders, ADS-B data, satellite systems, air traffic control recordings and, eventually, the aircraft’s flight recorders.
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The K2 Airways Boeing 737-400 cargo aircraft, flying from Sharjah to Karachi, lost contact with air traffic control after reporting a navigational system issue. Pakistan Airports Authority said the aircraft was later seen rapidly descending with a sharp heading change before radar and radio contact were lost about 155 nautical miles west of Karachi.
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One of the key technologies in flight tracking, according to Federal Aviation Administration guidance, is ADS-B, which broadcasts an aircraft’s GPS position, altitude, speed and other data to ground stations and other aircraft. This is also the data used by many public flight-tracking platforms. But ADS-B is not foolproof. Coverage can weaken over sea, at low altitude, or if the aircraft’s systems stop transmitting.
Flightradar24 said preliminary ADS-B data from KTA1732 showed a loss of altitude, followed by a climb, and then a second, sudden loss of altitude. The final received data point placed the aircraft at 1,100 feet above mean sea level, descending at a reported 22,400 feet per minute.
After contact is lost, technology shifts from tracking to recovery. Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at London-based StrategicAero Research, said naval recovery and specialist equipment, including submersible drones, will be required to locate the wreckage and search the debris field for the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder.
“K2 will also be poring over maintenance history to determine whether the airplane was properly maintained and check whether anything was missed,” Ahmad said.
He added that Boeing and engine maker CFM are expected to send specialist teams to aid the recovery and investigation, with their expertise potentially critical in understanding what went wrong and how similar incidents can be prevented.
