While dumping fuel in preparation for landing, the airplane, a Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation, caught fire and plummeted into the Atlantic Ocean off Asbury Park, New Jersey.

At 12:20 a.m. on June 20, some 250 miles east of Norfolk, Virginia, Captain Plata reported that the #2 propeller— the inboard propeller on the port (left) wing— was overspeeding, and radioed his intent to return to Idlewild.

The debris and remains recovered the night of the crash provided no clues as to the origin of the sudden fire; initial speculation was that fuel vapor may have come into contact with hot exhaust gases from one or more engines.

Locating the main wreckage proved difficult due to the relatively wide dispersion of the debris- Hancox had observed the airliner shed flaming parts during its descent, and the final impact and explosion were described as violent, strewing debris over a considerable area.

Finally, a June 30 sonar search provided tentative identification of the main wreckage, which the Navy estimated would require "days or weeks" to raise.

Minimal progress was made over the ensuing week, largely due to bad weather; On July 6, the Venezuelan government requested that recovery operations be halted.

The double seat in the area of the impact was apparently ejected from the aircraft at this time, as it was found some distance from the spot where YV-C-AMS crashed; it had been cut in half from top to bottom by a heavy object.

Expert testimony provided two possible scenarios for ignition of the jettisoning fuel: In May 1959, propeller pitch-lock mechanisms, designed to arrest the pitch of the blades and prevent them from opening further when an overspeed is imminent, became mandatory on U.S. piston-engined transport aircraft.