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

Investigators' checks of the aircraft plus the instructor's medical history could change how flight schools screen and report pilot mental health.

Overview

  • A 42-year-old instructor, Leandro Andrés Bertazzo, reportedly opened the Cessna's door and jumped from the aircraft while flying with a 22-year-old trainee, leaving the student alone in the cockpit.
  • The trainee, who held a pilot license but had relatively few hours, contacted ground staff and followed their instructions to make an emergency landing without injuries.
  • Bertazzo's body was recovered in a rural area near Toledo, Córdoba, and local authorities are treating the July 4 incident as a suicide.
  • Investigators are conducting technical checks on the Cessna, including whether the door functioned normally, and are gathering forensic, maintenance and witness information.
  • Reports that Bertazzo had sought psychiatric help without informing his employer have prompted scrutiny of mental-health disclosure rules and single-instructor training safeguards that regulators and flight schools may now reassess.