A flight instructor died after jumping out of a plane in the middle of a training session in central Argentina’s Toledo, leaving his student to land the aircraft all by herself. Reportedly, 42-year-old Leandro Andrés Bertazzo was on a small plane with a 22-year-old student named Rosario when the incident occurred.
The student recalled that Bertazzo removed his headset and seatbelt after telling her, “You know what you have to do, carry on.” According to CNN affiliate TN, the director of the flying school, Eduardo Álvarez, shared that there were no indications that the pilot was planning to jump out of the plane.
Prior to flying with Rosario, Bertazzo went on a flight with another student the same day. “He made this tragic decision on board an aircraft with another person by his side,” Álvarez said, adding, “It’s impossible to think about it or understand it, but the human mind is so complex.”
Álvarez recalled Bertazzo as a “beautiful person with a great smile”. The director continued, “We are surprised that this has happened.”
The director told media outlets that the incident left the student in “complete shock.” However, she managed to land the plane undamaged and safely.
An investigation is underway to determine the exact details of the incident that led to Bertazzo death. Bertazzo was an experienced flight instructor.
