What happened
On October 24, 2008, at approximately 10:41 Atlantic daylight time, a Cessna 402C, registration ZP-TVA, crashed into terrain near Asuncion, Paraguay. The aircraft, operated by AsisMed, departed from Asuncion Silvio Pettirossi International Airport at approximately 10:39.
Prior to departure, the pilot notified the airport controller that the purpose of the flight was a maintenance test flight. No flight plan had been filed for the mission. Approximately two minutes after takeoff, the aircraft impacted a eucalyptus field located roughly 4 miles northwest of the runway departure end. A witness reported that the airplane struck the ground nose-first, resulting in a post-impact fire.
Weather conditions at the time of the accident were visual meteorological conditions (VMC) with a visibility of 10 statute miles and winds from 360 degrees at 5 knots. The accident resulted in 5 fatalities and the aircraft sustained substantial damage.