A flight instructor in Argentina jumped to his death mid-flight while teaching a student, leaving the trainee to land the plane alone. Leandro Bertazzo, 42, exited the Cessna C-150 aircraft shortly after takeoff from Coronel Olmedo Airport near Córdoba on July 4. The 22-year-old student, identified as Rosario, managed to land the plane safely despite being in shock. Bertazzo's body was found in a nearby field 20 minutes later.
Bertazzo's father revealed his son had been going through a 'difficult time', and family members disclosed he had visited a psychiatric hospital the week before his death. Eduardo Alvarez, director of the Flying Parrot Córdoba flight school where Bertazzo worked, described him as an 'excellent professional' and 'a wonderful person.' Alvarez noted that Bertazzo had taken off his headphones, arranged his belongings, unbuckled his seatbelt, and opened the door—a challenging task mid-flight—before jumping.
The incident remains under investigation. Prosecutors are examining the circumstances leading to Bertazzo's death, while Alvarez emphasized the complexity of the human mind in such tragic decisions. Bertazzo, who had previously worked as a commercial pilot in Chile, was highly experienced and well-regarded by colleagues and students.