Argentinian Instructor Pilot Jumps to His Death During Flight Lesson

TOLEDO, ARGENTINA — A flight instructor died after jumping from a plane in the air during a lesson, leaving his student to safely land the aircraft by herself, according to officials in Argentina.

Leandro Andrés Bertazzo, 42, was found dead following the incident, which happened Saturday in Toledo, a city in central Argentina, according to a statement from the country’s public prosecutor.

Bertazzo was flying in a Cessna 150 aircraft with a 22-year-old student pilot identified as Rosario when the incident occurred,  a CNN affiliate initially reported. A Cessna 150 is a two-seat, tricycle-gear general aviation propeller airplane that is designed for flight training, touring, and personal use. It was first manufactured in 1958. 

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

Rosario was able to remain in control of the plane and land safely despite being in “complete shock,” according to Eduardo Álvarez, director of the Flying Parrot Córdoba flying school where Bertazzo worked. The aircraft was not damaged.

Álvarez said there were no indications that Bertazzo planned to take his own life, noting that he had completed another training flight with a different student earlier that day.

According to Álvarez, opening the door of an aircraft while in flight is extremely difficult, comparing it to trying to open a car door while traveling around 124 mph.

Bertazzo was an experienced pilot who had also worked as a flight instructor in Chile.

Authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death.