A 42-year-old pilot has mysteriously fallen to his death during a flight as a young trainee was forced to land the plane.
Leandro Andrés Bertazzo, 42, reportedly opened the door and jumped from the aircraft while in mid-air.
The qualified commercial pilot was conducting a training flight with the 22-year-old woman when he allegedly jumped.
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The student pilot was forced to take control and land the Cessna C-150 light aircraft safely on her own.
According to the student, named Rosario, Leandro told her “you know what you have to do” and “keep going forward”.
The pilot, who worked for Flying Parrot Flight School in Córdoba, Argentina, then removed his headphones, set aside his mobile phone, and unfastened his seatbelt.
Rosario said he then opened the cabin door – described as extremely difficult in flight due to air pressure – and jumped from an altitude of about 820 feet (250 metres).
The aircraft was flying near the rural area of Toledo, south of Córdoba, when the incident occurred.
The student immediately radioed for help, followed emergency procedures and landed the undamaged plane at the airfield without further incident.
School director Eduardo Álvarez, who received the alert from the student, said she was in shock but acted with “great level-headedness”.
She initially thought her instructor might have deployed a parachute but soon realised he had not.
Eduardo and colleagues took off to search and located Leandro’s body in a field within 15 minutes.
The emergency services confirmed his death at the scene.
The instructor had flown earlier that day with another student on a re-training flight with no issues.
Colleagues described him as cheerful, professional and impeccably presented, with no visible signs of distress.
He had worked at the school for four years after a decade of training there and had previously flown in Chile, as reported by Need To Know.
Eduardo, who called Leandro a friend, said: “He arrived, we greeted each other with a kiss and a hug as always… We are all in shock.
“There is no way to understand what happened.”
He added that Leandro had been applying for a position with a major airline.
It later emerged that Leandro had reportedly received psychiatric treatment, a detail known only to his family.
No colleagues had detected any warning signs during physical and mental health checks required every six months.
The Federal Justice of Córdoba is investigating the incident, which has stunned the local aviation community.
Officials are examining all circumstances, although witness accounts point to a deliberate act.
The student was unharmed and the aircraft sustained no damage, including to the door.
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