Pilot Opens Plane Door Mid-Flight and Jumps to his Death, Student Lands Aircraft

A 22-year-old student pilot safely landed a light aircraft after her flight instructor reportedly jumped from the moving plane during a training flight in central Argentina.

The incident occurred on Saturday near the city of Toledo. According to Argentina’s public prosecutor, flight instructor Leandro Andrés Bertazzo, 42, was later found dead following the incident. Authorities are continuing their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the case.

Bertazzo was conducting a lesson aboard a Cessna 150 with the student, identified as Rosario. According to local reports, he reportedly told her, “You know what you have to do, carry on,” before removing his headset and seatbelt, opening the aircraft door and jumping from the plane.

Despite being left alone in the cockpit and reportedly in a state of shock, Rosario successfully landed the aircraft without damage.

Eduardo Álvarez, director of the Flying Parrot Córdoba flying school where Bertazzo worked, said there had been no indication that the instructor was planning such an act.

He described Bertazzo as a cheerful individual who was well regarded by those around him, adding that staff members were struggling to understand what had happened.

Álvarez also noted that opening the door of a small aircraft while in flight is extremely difficult because of the force of the air, comparing it to attempting to open the door of a car travelling at around 200 kilometres per hour.

Authorities have not released further details about the investigation, while the flying school and local aviation community continue to come to terms with the incident.