Student Pilot Forced to Land Plane Alone After Instructor Jumps to His Death Mid-Flight

A routine training flight in Argentina ended in tragedy after a flight instructor allegedly jumped out of the aircraft midair, leaving his student to land the plane on her own.

The instructor, identified as Leandro Andrés Bertazzo, was conducting a training session on Saturday with his 22-year-old student, Rosario, when he reportedly told her, “You know what you have to do, carry on.”

According to prosecutors, Bertazzo then removed his headset, unfastened his seatbelt, opened the aircraft door and jumped from the plane, dying instantly.

Despite being left alone and in a state of shock, Rosario remained calm and successfully landed the aircraft without assistance.

The director of the Flying Parrot Córdoba flight school, where Bertazzo worked, said there had been no indication that the instructor was planning to take his own life. He had reportedly completed another training flight with a different student earlier that same day without any unusual behaviour.

Authorities have launched an investigation to determine what led to the shocking incident, as the motive behind Bertazzo’s actions remains unknown.