Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
A trainee pilot has described the traumatic moment her instructor jumped from a plane during a lesson, forcing her to bring the aircraft down alone.
The 22-year-old student, who has not been identified publicly by the flight school, was in the middle of a training flight when her instructor suddenly opened the aircraft door and left the plane.
Leandro Bertazzo, 42, is reported to have jumped from a Cessna C150 while the plane was flying over Toledo, in Córdoba province, Argentina, on July 4.
The student later said she saw him fall and, in the immediate confusion, initially believed he may have been wearing or using a parachute.
She then realised that was not the case.
The instructor was later identified in local reports as Leandro Andrés Bertazzo, an experienced pilot and instructor who worked at the Flying Parrot Córdoba flight school. Reports said the student had a private pilot’s licence but only limited flying hours, and was in training with the instructor at the time of the incident.
Despite the circumstances, she managed to alert the relevant authorities and then landed the plane by herself at Coronel Olmedo Airport in Cordoba.
That was particularly notable given her limited solo flying experience.
Emergency responders later said Bertazzo’s body was found in a field around 20 minutes after the incident.
Eduardo Alvarez, director of the Flying Parrot Cordoba flight school where Bertazzo worked, shared what the student had told him with Argentine media.
He said she told him Bertazzo had ‘jumped’.
“[She said] 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 sent a message informing about the situation and proceeded to return to the runway to land,” he added, saying the student, who had a pilot’s licence but few flying hours under her belt, had been “very clear, decisive, mature and professional.
“She was very shaken, but with complete professionalism she flew the plane to the airfield and made a perfect landing,” he added.
Reports in local media say Bertazzo’s final words were “You know what to do, keep moving forward,” before he left the aircraft.
Alvarez said the incident had come as a profound shock and described Bertazzo as someone who was cheerful and ‘always smiling’.
He added:
“He took this tragic decision on board a plane with a person by his side,” he 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.”
Police and prosecutors in Argentina are investigating what happened, with reports saying the case has been reviewed by both federal and provincial authorities as they try to establish the exact sequence of events.
Because of the unusual nature of the case, investigators are expected to closely examine both the aircraft and the flight school’s records to establish the full circumstances.
Among the issues that may be considered is whether any mechanical problem involving the door or another safety system played a role, although reports so far have focused on the possibility that Bertazzo left the aircraft voluntarily.
The tragedy has also prompted renewed attention to the pressures faced by flight instructors and trainee pilots, particularly during dual training flights in light aircraft such as the Cessna 150.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 to reach a 24-hour crisis center or you can webchat at 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.