diff --git a/source/s3_meta_request.c b/source/s3_meta_request.c
index 13ace451a..e471c64e5 100644
--- a/source/s3_meta_request.c
+++ b/source/s3_meta_request.c
@@ -44,6 +44,9 @@ struct aws_s3_meta_request *aws_py_get_s3_meta_request(PyObject *meta_request) {
 }
 
 static void s_destroy(struct s3_meta_request_binding *meta_request) {
+    if (meta_request->recv_file) {
+        fclose(meta_request->recv_file);
+    }
     if (meta_request->copied_message) {
         aws_http_message_release(meta_request->copied_message);
     }
@@ -297,14 +300,13 @@ static void s_s3_request_on_finish(
     /*************** GIL RELEASE ***************/
 }
 
-/* Invoked when the python object get cleaned up */
+/* Invoked when S3Request._binding gets cleaned up.
+ * DO NOT destroy the C binding struct or anything inside it yet.
+ * The user might have let S3Request get GC'd,
+ * but the s3_meta_request_binding* must outlive the native aws_s3_meta_request* */
 static void s_s3_meta_request_capsule_destructor(PyObject *capsule) {
     struct s3_meta_request_binding *meta_request = PyCapsule_GetPointer(capsule, s_capsule_name_s3_meta_request);
 
-    if (meta_request->recv_file) {
-        fclose(meta_request->recv_file);
-        meta_request->recv_file = NULL;
-    }
     if (meta_request->native) {
         aws_s3_meta_request_release(meta_request->native);
     } else {
diff --git a/test/test_s3.py b/test/test_s3.py
index 5de4a8cd6..0d1a0c0ef 100644
--- a/test/test_s3.py
+++ b/test/test_s3.py
@@ -270,6 +270,13 @@ def test_get_object_file_object(self):
                 on_headers=self._on_request_headers,
                 on_progress=self._on_progress)
             finished_future = s3_request.finished_future
+
+            # Regression test: Let S3Request get GC'd early.
+            # The download should continue without problems.
+            # We once had a bug where the file would get closed too early:
+            # https://github.com/awslabs/aws-crt-python/pull/506
+            del s3_request
+
             finished_future.result(self.timeout)
 
             # Result check