Flight Instructor Jumps From Cessna During Training, Student Lands Plane Safely

Overview

• The instructor, Leandro Andrés Bertazzo, left the two-seat Cessna 150 mid-flight and was later found dead in rural Toledo after the episode on Saturday.
• A 22-year-old student who already held a pilot license but had limited hours on the Cessna contacted ground staff and completed a safe landing at the airfield.
• The Federal Justice of Córdoba has opened a criminal investigation and authorities are carrying out forensics on the aircraft and communications to reconstruct what happened onboard.
• The flight school director said Bertazzo told the student “You know what to do” before removing his headset, opening the door and jumping, and family members reported he had sought psychiatric care that was not disclosed to the school.
• Aviation experts note that a Cessna 150 is small and slow enough that opening the door at low altitude is physically possible and sometimes taught for emergency control, which raises questions about training, medical reporting and the stigma around mental health in aviation.