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Flight Instructor Jumps From Training Plane and Dies as Trainee Lands Cessna Safely

Investigators have opened a criminal inquiry to check the aircraft door, review the instructor's psychiatric contacts, collect witness statements, recover forensic evidence.

Overview

  • The instructor, 42‑year‑old Leandro Andrés Bertazzo, left a Cessna C‑150 in flight and was later found dead in a rural area near Toledo in Córdoba province.
  • The trainee, a 22‑year‑old with a pilot license but limited hours, contacted ground staff and followed their instructions to land the aircraft without injury.
  • Officials treating the case as a probable suicide have begun inspecting the plane for mechanical issues, including whether the door was functioning, and are taking statements from the trainee and flight‑school staff.
  • Flight‑school director Eduardo Álvarez told local press that Bertazzo told the trainee 'Sai cosa devi fare,' removed his headset and phone, unfastened his belt, opened the door and jumped.
  • Reports that Bertazzo had sought psychiatric care but did not tell his employer have raised questions about medical disclosure and mental‑health checks for pilots, a line of inquiry investigators and industry officials are likely to pursue.