A flight instructor tragically passed away after jumping from a small plane in Argentina, leaving the student pilot he was instructing to land the aircraft alone.
Leandro Andres Bertazzo, 42, was flying a two-seater Cessna 150G over Cordoba province on Saturday when he made the fatal decision, as reported by CNN and an Argentine news source.
Eduardo Alvarez, director of the flight school Flying Parrot Cordoba, where Bertazzo was employed, expressed disbelief at the incident. He mentioned, “It’s impossible to think about or understand it, but the human mind is very complex.”
According to Alvarez, the student pilot, a 22-year-old woman named Rosario, later recounted that Bertazzo instructed her to “keep going” before he removed his gear, opened the plane’s door, and leaped out.
It’s noteworthy that opening a plane door mid-air is exceptionally challenging—like trying to open a car door while driving at high speeds.
Despite being in shock, Rosario managed to execute a safe landing with no damage to the aircraft, as Alvarez remarked on her remarkable composure during the ordeal.
Interestingly, Bertazzo had been flying with another student earlier that day, which raises questions about his state of mind during that period.
In a later development, Alvarez revealed that Bertazzo had been receiving treatment at a psychiatric hospital, information that was known only to his family until his passing.
The investigation into this tragic incident is being handled by prosecutors in Cordoba. The plane involved in the incident has been taken into police custody.
