Open-source telemetry shows unusual altitude changes as investigators await flight recorders for answers
KARACHI: Open-source ADS-B flight tracking data has provided a detailed reconstruction of the final moments of K2 Airways Flight KTA1732, a Boeing 737-400 freighter, before it disappeared over the northern Arabian Sea during a flight from Sharjah to Karachi.
According to the telemetry analysis compiled from 875 ADS-B data points, the aircraft departed Sharjah International Airport at 13:01 UTC and climbed normally to its cruising altitude of Flight Level 350. The aircraft maintained a stable cruise profile for most of the journey while crossing the Gulf of Oman and the northern Arabian Sea.
However, the final minutes of the flight revealed several unusual flight characteristics. At approximately 16:19 UTC, the aircraft descended from FL350 to FL296 before climbing back to FL367 within about 40 seconds. The reconstructed data indicates an implied climb rate of roughly 10,500 feet per minute, a figure highlighted by analysts as outside the typical operating envelope for a Boeing 737-400 at cruise altitude.
Telemetry highlights unexplained data gap
The reconstruction also identified a 104-second gap between the last stable ADS-B transmission at 16:20:15 UTC, when the aircraft was at FL346, and the final recorded position at 16:21:59 UTC at approximately 1,100 feet above mean sea level.
During that interval, the aircraft reportedly lost around 33,000 feet of altitude while covering only about five kilometres. Based on the available telemetry, analysts calculated an average descent rate of approximately 19,300 feet per minute. However, they stressed that the aircraft’s precise flight path during the transmission gap cannot be determined from ADS-B data alone.
Investigation continues
The aircraft’s final recorded position was approximately 280 kilometres southwest of Karachi over the northern Arabian Sea, where search and rescue teams continue operations.
Aviation analysts emphasised that ADS-B data documents an aircraft’s trajectory but cannot determine the cause of an accident. They noted that investigators will require information from the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) to establish the sequence of events and identify the factors that led to the aircraft’s loss. Authorities have not yet announced any preliminary findings as the investigation remains ongoing.
K2 Airways · KTA1732 · AP-BOI (B737-4M0 BDSF)
07 Jul 2026 · SHJ → KHIPhase-by-phase ADS-B reconstruction from 875 telemetry points (via FR24). Full flight in 40 sec, from pushback at OMSJ to loss of signal over the northern Arabian Sea.… pic.twitter.com/pZGcVlAtLW
— Saad (@AirlinePilotmax) July 10, 2026
