Instructor jumps from Cessna mid-flight, student lands plane alone in Argentina

Instructor pilot jumps to death, leaving student to land plane

An Argentinian pilot jumped out of the door of a moving plane to his death on Saturday, forcing the student aboard to land the aircraft by herself, according to US reports. A report from CNN affiliate TN on the bizarre incident indicated that the instructor, 42-year-old Leandro Andrés Bertazzo, was on board a Cessna 150 aircraft with a 22-year-old student named Rosario when he suddenly took off his headset and seatbelt. He reportedly told the student, “You know what you have to do, carry on,” and proceeded to open the door and jump out of the aircraft. A Tuesday statement from the country’s public prosecutor indicated Bertazzo’s body had been recovered after the incident, which took place in Toledo, central Argentina. A director of the Flying Parrot Córdoba flying school, Eduardo Álvarez, where Bertazzo worked, told TN that the pilot had exhibited no signs that he might be considering suicide and had even successfully completed a flight with a different student earlier that day, Álvarez said. “He made this tragic decision on board an aircraft with another person by his side,” he said. “It’s impossible to think about it or understand it, but the human mind is so complex.” Álvarez described him as “a beautiful person with a great smile,” expressing surprise about the incident. The flight school head explained that opening the planes door would have been a herculean task, comparing it to trying to open the door of a car traveling at 200 kilometres an hour. Despite the midair shock, Rosario managed to land the plane safely with no damage.    

1 hour ago

Student pilot forced to land plane alone after instructor ‘jumps to his death mid-flight’

Leandro Bertazzo is reported to have fallen to his death from the plane as he was training a student (Picture: JamPress) A student pilot has spoken of how she was forced to land a plane alone after her instructor ‘jumped to his death from the cockpit’ midway through the flight. The unnamed 22-year-old had been training with her instructor, 42-year-old Leandro Bertazzo, over Toledo, Argentina, on July 4, when he reportedly opened the window of the Cessna C150 plane and jumped. The student’s account of the incident states that she watched Bertazzo plunge to his death. While she previously thought he had deployed a parachute she soon realised that was not the case. Despite witnessing such a harrowing moment — and having only limited experience in flying — the student raised the alarm before landing the plane safely and unaided at Coronel Olmedo Airport, which is based in Cordoba and commonly used by flight schools for training pilots. Reports said Mr Bertazzo’s body was found in a nearby field 20 minutes later. The unnamed student had to land the Cessna C-150 alone (Picture: JamPress) Sign up for all of the latest stories Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens. Eduardo Alvarez, director of flight school Flying Parrot Cordoba, where Mr Bertazzo worked as an instructor, revealed details of his conversation with the student after the incident. Speaking to Argentinian media he explained that she told him he had ‘jumped’, adding: ‘[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’. Mr Bertazzo had worked as a commercial pilot in Chile (Picture: JamPress) ‘She was very shaken, but with complete professionalism she flew the plane to the airfield and made a perfect landing,’ he added. It’s also been reported that at one point during the flight Mr Bertazzo told her: ‘You know what to do, keep moving forward.’ Mr Alvarez went on to describe him as someone who was ‘always smiling’, saying that his death had come completely out of the blue. His body was found in a nearby field 20 minutes after the plane landed (Picture: JamPress) ‘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.’ An investigation into the instructor’s death is ongoing with officials saying the circumstances surrounding the accident are so unusual they are unable to explain how it might have happened. Investigators are looking into the circumstances surrounding the death (Picture: JamPress) One line of inquiry being followed is whether a mechanical failure relating to a hatch or one of the plane’s safety systems occurred, with the craft and the flight school documentation being studied, along with the communications maintained while the plane was airborne. Local reports have said Mr Bertazzo, who described himself as a former commercial pilot in Chile, had undergone neuropsychiatric treatment. However, only close family members were said to be aware of this before his tragic death occurred. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

9 hours ago

Student pilot forced to land plane alone after instructor 'jumps to his death mid-flight' - Metro.co.uk

Student pilot forced to land plane alone after instructor 'jumps to his death mid-flight'  Metro.co.ukFlight school pilot jumps to his death midair, leaving student to land plane  CNNPilot's chilling last words before 'jumping' from plane as trainee forced to land  Daily StarStudent Pilot Forced to Land Plane After Instructor Jumps Out Mid-Flight  YahooFlight instructor dies after mid-air fall in Argentina  MSN

9 hours ago