Student Pilot Forced to Land Plane After Instructor Jumps Out Mid-Flight

Leandro Bertazzo a flight instructor, jumped to his death from a small plane in mid-air, leaving his 22-year-old student pilot to land the aircraft alone.

The incident occurred on Monday, July 6, over Toledo, Argentina, when Bertazzo exited the Cessna C-150 while airborne, according to an article The U.S. Sun published on Tuesday, July 7.

Bertazzo, 42, is believed to be a former commercial pilot in Chile. His body was located in a nearby field after a brief search, per the report.

The unnamed student pilot, who held a license but had limited flying experience, described the moment in detail. “He took his headphones off, arranged his belongings including his mobile phone, took his seatbelt off, opened the door which is very difficult to open and jumped out,” she said, according to the outlet.

She alerted authorities immediately and safely landed the plane herself, per the report.

“She was very shaken, but with complete professionalism she flew the plane to the airfield and made a perfect landing,” said Eduardo Alvarez, director of Flying Parrot Cordoba, the flight school where Bertazzo worked, per the outlet. He called her actions “very clear, decisive, mature and professional.”

According to the article, Alvarez remembered Bertazzo as someone who was “always smiling” and said no one had anticipated the tragedy. “He took this tragic decision on board a plane with a person by his side,” Alvarez said. “There’s no way to think about it or understand it, but the human mind is so complex, so treacherous. That’s why what happened, happened,” he added, per the report.

Per the outlet, at one point during the flight, Bertazzo reportedly turned to his student and told her, “You know what to do, keep moving forward.”

Local reports indicated Bertazzo had received neuropsychiatric treatment, though only close relatives were said to be aware before the tragedy, according to the U.S. Sun.

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