Who Was Leandro Andrés Bertazzo? Argentine Flight Trainer Jumps to His Death During Training Session Leaving Horrified Student to Land Aircraft

An Argentine flight instructor jumped to his death from a plane during a training flight, leaving his student to land the aircraft on her own after reportedly telling her, “You know what you have to do.”

Leandro Andrés Bertazzo was identified as the flight instructor who jumped from a Cessna 150G over the central Argentine town of Toledo on July 4, leaving his 22-year-old student alone in the aircraft, according to a statement from Attorney General Carlos Gonella’s office. Before jumping off the plane, Bertazzo reportedly turned to the student, Rosario, and told her, “You know what you have to do, carry on,” Argentine news outlet Todos Noticias (TN) reported.

As Shocking as It Could Turn

Bertazzo unfastened his seatbelt, took off his headset, opened the aircraft door, and jumped from the plane, according to reports. Rosario, who already holds a private pilot’s license, immediately contacted officials at the Flying Parrot flight school in Córdoba.

Instructors guided her through emergency procedures over the radio, helping her safely bring the Cessna to the ground.

Although deeply shaken by the ordeal, Rosario was praised for remaining calm and successfully landing the aircraft.

“Very clear, decisive, mature, and professional,” Flying Parrot director Eduardo Álvarez said, according to the outlet. “She was very shaken, but with complete professionalism, she piloted the plane back to the airfield and landed perfectly. She maintained a very high level of training and professionalism.”

About 15 minutes after Bertazzo jumped from the plane, Álvarez spotted his body in a rural field near Córdoba while taking part in a search flight. He immediately alerted emergency responders to the location.

Bertazzo was pronounced dead at the scene.

Álvarez, who had worked closely with Bertazzo, said he was struggling to understand why his colleague had taken such a tragic step.

“He made this tragic decision aboard an aircraft with one other person by his side. There’s no way to think about it or understand it, but the human mind is so complex, so treacherous. That’s why what happened, happened,” Álvarez said, according to the outlet.

Investigation Launched

Prosecutors have launched an investigation into Bertazzo’s death after seizing the training aircraft to determine what led to the fatal incident, Attorney General Carlos Gonella’s office said Tuesday.

Bertazzo had been struggling with his mental health and had sought treatment at a neuropsychiatric clinic, though only his close family members were aware of it, according to reports from local media.

“He had been in a neuropsychiatric institute, but nobody knew about it. Only his family,” Álvarez told reporters.

Those who worked alongside Bertazzo said he had kept his struggles private, and nothing about his behavior raised concerns at the flight school. “There’s a very close student-instructor relationship in a professional sense, but none of those who flew with him, nor those of us who saw him, could have imagined he would make the decision to jump from an aircraft. Obviously, something was going on,” Álvarez told TN.

Despite the tragedy, the training aircraft was recovered without damage, including its door.

Officials said they were baffled by how Bertazzo managed to jump from the aircraft, noting that opening the door during flight is extremely difficult. They likened it to trying to open a car door while traveling at around 125 mph.

Bertazzo was an experienced aviator with years of flying under his belt. He held several professional certifications, including an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) license, a first-class commercial pilot license, and credentials as a flight instructor.