Flight instructor jumps to death from plane mid-training, student lands safely

A flight instructor in Argentina jumped from a training aircraft, leaving his 22-year-old student to land the plane alone. The incident has prompted an investigation, with the flying school saying there were no warning signs.

In Short

• The incident happened during a training session in Toledo on Saturday
• The student said instructor told her to carry on before removing gear
• The flying school director said there were no warning signs

A flight instructor in Argentina died after jumping from a moving aircraft during a training session, leaving his student to land the plane on her own. The student, identified as 22-year-old Rosario, brought the Cessna 150 down safely and the aircraft was not damaged.

Leandro Andres Bertazzo, 42, was found dead after the incident in Toledo, in central Argentina, on Saturday, according to a statement issued by the country’s public prosecutor and published on Tuesday. Bertazzo was on board the aircraft with Rosario, CNN affiliate TN reported.

According to TN, the student said Bertazzo told her, “You know what you have to do, carry on,” before removing his headset and seatbelt, opening the door and jumping from the plane.

Eduardo lvarez, director of the Flying Parrot Cordoba flying school where Bertazzo worked, told TN there had been no signs that the instructor was planning to jump from the aircraft. lvarez said Bertazzo had flown with another student earlier the same day.

“He made this tragic decision on board an aircraft with another person by his side,” lvarez 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, “We are surprised that this has happened.”

lvarez said opening the door of a plane in mid-air was extremely difficult, comparing it to trying to open the door of a car travelling at 200 kilometres an hour. He added that Rosario managed to land the plane safely despite being in “complete shock.”

TN reported that Bertazzo was highly experienced and had also worked as a flight instructor in neighbouring Chile. Prosecutors are now investigating the exact circumstances of the incident that led to his death.

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