A routine flight lesson in Argentina ended in tragedy after a flight instructor reportedly jumped from a moving aircraft, leaving his 22-year-old student alone at the controls to land the plane herself.
Leandro Andrés Bertazzo, 42, was killed Saturday after exiting a Cessna 150 during a training flight near Toledo, Córdoba Province, according to Argentina's Public Prosecutor's Office. Authorities said Bertazzo was conducting a lesson with a student called Rosario when, without warning, he removed his headset and seatbelt before opening the aircraft door.
According to CNN, Bertazzo told his student, "You know what you have to do, carry on," before jumping from the aircraft. Rosario, who was left alone in the cockpit, successfully landed the plane despite being in what officials described as a state of complete shock. The aircraft was not damaged during the emergency landing.
Eduardo Álvarez, director of the Flying Parrot Córdoba flight school where Bertazzo worked, said there had been no indication the experienced instructor intended to take his own life. "He made this tragic decision on board an aircraft with another person by his side," Álvarez told TN. "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 was stunned by the incident. "We are surprised that this has happened," he said. Álvarez also noted that opening the door of a small aircraft while in flight is extremely difficult because of air pressure, comparing it to trying to open a car door while traveling at approximately 124 mph (200 km/h).
Bertazzo had completed another instructional flight earlier the same day and was regarded as a highly experienced pilot who had also worked as a flight instructor in neighboring Chile. Argentina's Public Prosecutor's Office has opened an investigation into the incident to determine the precise circumstances surrounding Bertazzo's death, although authorities have not indicated that foul play is suspected.
