Paraguayan President Killed in Single-Engine Crash Near San Bernardino (7)

What happened

The incident involved a single-engine aircraft traveling from Asunción to San Bernardino. The flight carried two passengers and one pilot. During the approach phase toward the destination, the pilot faced reduced visibility caused by fog. The crew failed to recognize that the airplane was at an insufficient altitude before it impacted the terrain. The crash occurred in an open field within Altos, situated approximately 10 kilometers north of San Bernardino. All three occupants on board perished in the accident. Among the victims were the President of the Republic of Paraguay and his spouse, who were en route to their private residence on the shore of Lake Ypacaraí. The pilot was a Major in the air force. The wreckage remained undiscovered for several hours until it was located by the crew of a Brazilian Air Force Waco aircraft.

Findings

The official investigation determined that the accident resulted from a controlled flight into terrain. The primary contributing factor was the pilot's failure to maintain adequate altitude during the approach, exacerbated by the poor visibility conditions caused by fog.