What happened
A scheduled international flight traveling from London to Buenos Aires, via several stops including Paris, Lisbon, Dakar, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo, was conducting its arrival at Asunción. The aircraft, a Lockheed Constellation, was carrying 14 passengers and 10 crew members.
At 01:05 local time, the flight contacted the Asunción control tower to receive clearance for landing on Runway 02. The controller instructed the crew to contact the tower again once they were on their final approach. The last communication from the aircraft occurred at 01:15 local time.
Following this final contact, an airport employee observed the aircraft traveling toward the south-southwest. The observer noted that the plane turned left and appeared to be beginning a straight-in approach toward the city. After a period of silence from the cockpit, the employee noticed a sudden flash of fire near the Paraguay Aero Club, located south of the airfield. The impact triggered an immediate fire that consumed the entire aircraft. The accident resulted in 8 fatalities (comprising three crew members and five passengers) while 17 people survived.
Findings
Investigations into the crash determined that the pilot was performing an instrument-based approach circuit. The primary factor in the accident was a timing error during the approach, which caused the crew to begin their final descent much further from the airport than intended. Evidence from the wreckage, including the extended landing gear, deployed flaps, and the 'rich' mixture control setting, confirmed that the aircraft was configured for landing at the time of the crash.