A 22-year-old student pilot safely landed a small aircraft after her flight instructor allegedly jumped to his death from the plane during a training flight in Argentina, leaving her alone at the controls in what officials described as a deeply traumatic incident.
Leandro Andrés Bertazzo, 42, was found dead after jumping from a Cessna 150 during a training flight near Toledo, in central Argentina, on Saturday. Authorities confirmed the incident in a statement released by the country’s public prosecutor on Tuesday.
Sequence of Events
According to local reports, Bertazzo and his student, identified only as Rosario, took off on a routine instructional flight on Saturday.
The flight initially appeared normal. Earlier that day, Bertazzo had reportedly completed another training flight with a different student, and colleagues later said they noticed nothing unusual about his behaviour.
While the aircraft was in flight, Bertazzo allegedly turned to his student and told her, “You know what you have to do, carry on.”
He then reportedly removed his headset and seatbelt, opened the aircraft door and jumped from the moving plane.
The unexpected act left Rosario alone in the cockpit, suddenly responsible for controlling and landing the aircraft.
Despite being in what the director of the flight school described as “complete shock,” the 22-year-old remained composed enough to continue flying and successfully land the Cessna 150 without damage.
Emergency responders later located Bertazzo’s body.
Student Endures Terrifying Ordeal
Although Rosario escaped without physical injuries, aviation officials said the psychological impact of the incident is expected to be profound.
Being left alone to fly and land an aircraft moments after witnessing her instructor jump from the plane would likely have been an intensely traumatic experience.
The successful landing demonstrated remarkable composure under extraordinary pressure, but mental health experts note that people who experience sudden life-threatening events or witness a death can later develop symptoms of acute stress, anxiety or post-traumatic stress. It is not known whether Rosario has required psychological treatment, and authorities have not released further information about her condition.
Colleagues Left Stunned
Eduardo Álvarez, director of the Flying Parrot Córdoba flying school where Bertazzo worked, said colleagues had no indication that the experienced instructor was contemplating such an act.
“He made this tragic decision on board an aircraft with another person by his side,” Álvarez told local media.
“It’s impossible to think about it or understand it, but the human mind is so complex.”
Álvarez described Bertazzo as “a beautiful person with a great smile” and said everyone at the flight school had been shocked by his death.
He also noted that opening the door of a light aircraft in flight is extremely difficult because of the airflow, comparing it to trying to open the door of a car travelling at around 200 km/h.
Bertazzo was an experienced pilot who had also worked as a flight instructor in neighbouring Chile.
Authorities in Argentina are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
