In a horrifying incident, an experienced flight instructor in Argentina died after jumping from a moving aircraft during a training flight, leaving his 22-year-old student to land the plane on her own. Leandro Andrés Bertazzo, 42, was aboard a Cessna 150 with his student, Rosario, when the incident occurred near Toledo in central Argentina on Saturday. According to Argentine media outlet TN, cited by CNN, Bertazzo unbuckled his seatbelt, removed his headset, opened the aircraft door and jumped from the plane.
Before exiting the aircraft, he told his student that she knew what to do and should continue flying. “You know what you have to do; carry on,” he said before making the tragic jump.
Despite the shock, Rosario managed to remain calm and safely landed the aircraft without damage.
Bertazzo’s body was later recovered, and Argentina’s public prosecutor confirmed that an investigation has been launched to determine the circumstances surrounding his death.
Eduardo Alvarez, director of the Flying Parrot Córdoba flying school where Bertazzo worked, said there had been no indication that the instructor was planning such an act. He revealed that Bertazzo had completed another training flight with a different student earlier the same day without any signs of distress.
Describing Bertazzo as a “warm and cheerful person with a constant smile”, Alvarez said the incident had left colleagues stunned. He added that it was impossible to understand why Bertazzo made the decision while another person was on board, calling the human mind deeply complex.
“He made this tragic decision on board an aircraft with another person by his side. It’s impossible to think about it or understand it, but the human mind is so complex,” he said.
Alvarez also noted that opening the door of a small aircraft during flight requires significant physical force because of air pressure, likening it to trying to open a car door while travelling at high speed.
Notably, Bertazzo was an experienced flight instructor who had also trained pilots in neighbouring Chile. Authorities are continuing to investigate the incident.
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