The debris from a Boeing 737 freighter that fell from 35,000 feet into the Arabian Sea on Tuesday has been located following a 12-hour search and rescue operation. Speculation is growing regarding the factors behind the incident.

Without full recovery and analysis of the wreckage along with the black boxes that hold flight data and cockpit recordings, investigators cannot determine the exact sequence of events.

Still, information from flight tracking, images of recovered parts, and statements by local officials offer some indications. Aviation experts have outlined several possible explanations to Business Insider based on what is known so far.

Mark Stephens, a former Delta Air Lines pilot experienced on the 737, noted that a flight control problem, improper cargo loading, engine failure, or mistakes by personnel on the ground or in flight could have played a role.

Everything reviewed so far lacks sufficient detail for any firm conclusion, Stephens added.

About midway through the roughly two-hour journey from the UAE to Karachi, Pakistan, the K2 Airways aircraft showed sudden altitude fluctuations over three minutes before vanishing from radar. The Pakistan Airports Authority reported that the crew had signaled a navigation system malfunction.

Data from Flightradar24 indicates the jet descended and climbed irregularly before entering a steep dive at around 22,400 feet per minute, well outside normal cruise parameters.

The flight path passed through a sensitive area amid ongoing tensions between the US and Iran, including recent strikes on numerous Iranian sites.

Previous accidents illustrate how maintenance shortcomings can lead to disaster, such as the 2000 Alaska Airlines Flight 261 incident off California caused by inadequate work on the horizontal stabilizer.

Stephens mentioned that deliberate interference cannot be ruled out, though confirmation would be challenging. The 2015 Germanwings crash in the French Alps, where a pilot with known mental health issues intentionally downed the aircraft, serves as one precedent.

Anthony Brickhouse, an aviation safety specialist, described the sharp altitude shifts as troubling and said investigators will examine specific patterns in the wreckage to identify contributing elements.

All possibilities remain open until evidence narrows them down, Brickhouse stated.

He noted that the plane's speed and angle at water impact would influence how much the aircraft broke apart, complicating recovery. Investigations over water are often more difficult because key parts sink deep, as seen in the Air France Flight 447 case that took years to resolve fully.

The search for the K2 jet benefited from a smaller search zone and improved tracking tools compared to older incidents.

The freighter was not a 737 Max variant

Although the Boeing 737 family has faced scrutiny in recent years, this crash is not connected to those earlier issues.

The aircraft, registered AP-BOI, began operations in 1999 and flew passengers until conversion to cargo use in 2011. It was not the Max model involved in prior accidents and had multiple operators across countries responsible for its maintenance before K2 leased it in 2024.

The event will likely increase attention on Pakistan's aviation safety history.

The nation has seen multiple fatal accidents in recent decades, including a 2020 Karachi crash that claimed nearly 100 lives and led to temporary flight bans by US and European regulators. Other incidents include a 2019 military plane crash in Rawalpindi and a 2010 Airblue flight that killed over 150 people.

K2 Airways stated on social media that it is assisting authorities and released the names of the five crew members. The company operates only this single aircraft.

The Pakistan Airports Authority confirmed on Friday that recovery continues, with teams searching for the crew and collecting more parts for examination.

Boeing and K2 Airways have not provided comments.