A flight instructor died after jumping from a small aircraft in mid-air, leaving his 22-year-old student pilot to safely land the plane on her own in Argentina.
The incident occurred over Toledo, in central Argentina, during a training flight aboard a Cessna 150 aircraft. Authorities identified the instructor as 42-year-old Leandro Andrés Bertazzo, an experienced pilot and flight instructor who had previously worked in neighboring Chile.
According to local authorities and media reports, Bertazzo told the student, identified only as Rosario, “You know what you have to do, carry on,” before removing his headset and seatbelt, opening the aircraft door and jumping from the plane. Rosario immediately contacted authorities and successfully landed the aircraft without damage, despite being in what officials described as complete shock.
Eduardo Álvarez, director of the Flying Parrot Córdoba flight school where Bertazzo worked, praised the student’s composure during the emergency.
“She was very shaken, but with complete professionalism she flew the plane to the airfield and made a perfect landing,” Álvarez said. He described her actions as “clear, decisive, mature and professional.”
Bertazzo’s body was later found in a nearby field following a search. Álvarez said there had been no indication that Bertazzo was planning to take his own life. He noted that the instructor had completed another training flight earlier that day without incident.
“He made this tragic decision on board an aircraft with another person by his side,” Álvarez said. “It’s impossible to think about it or understand it, but the human mind is so complex.”
He also described Bertazzo as “a beautiful person with a great smile” and said the aviation community was shocked by the incident.
Álvarez explained that opening the door of a light aircraft while in flight is extremely difficult due to air pressure, comparing it to trying to open the door of a car traveling at 200 kilometres per hour.
Local reports indicated Bertazzo had received neuropsychiatric treatment, although those reports said only close relatives were aware of his condition. Argentine prosecutors have launched an investigation to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the incident.
