Flight Instructor Jumps from Plane in Argentina, Student Lands Safely

A flight instructor jumped from a moving Cessna 150 aircraft to his death near Toledo in central Argentina on Saturday, leaving his student to land the plane alone, CNN reported. Leandro Andrés Bertazzo, 42, removed his headset and seatbelt, opened the door and jumped after telling the student, “You know what you have to do, carry on,” according to the student’s account to CNN affiliate TN.

The 22-year-old student named Rosario landed the undamaged plane safely despite being in complete shock.

Eduardo Álvarez, director of the Flying Parrot Córdoba flying school where Bertazzo worked, told TN there were no signs Bertazzo planned to jump. Bertazzo had completed a flight with another student earlier the same day. Álvarez described opening the door in mid-air as extremely difficult, comparable to opening a car door at 200 km/h.

Bertazzo was highly experienced and had previously worked as a flight instructor in Chile, TN reported. Prosecutors are investigating the details of the incident.