FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR JUMPED FROM PLANE, STUDENT LANDED IT
Flight instructor Leandro Andrés Bertazzo, 42, died after leaving a Cessna 150 in midair during a lesson over Toledo, Argentina, on July 4, 2026, and his 22-year-old student, Rosario, landed the plane on her own. She told Argentine outlet TN that Bertazzo said “You know what you have to do, carry on,” took off his headset and seatbelt, opened the door and jumped, and NBC News reported that authorities were investigating the death as a suspected suicide.
Toledo is in Argentina’s Córdoba province. CNN reported Rosario’s account, which she gave to TN.
Proceso reported that Rosario held a private pilot license. The plane came down undamaged, according to Eduardo Álvarez, director of the Flying Parrot Córdoba flying school where Bertazzo worked. Álvarez said Rosario was in “complete shock.”
Bertazzo’s body was found after the incident. La Nación reported that it was found in a rural area near Toledo and that the incident happened at about 6 p.m.
The school director’s account
Álvarez told TN that nothing had pointed to what was about to happen.
“There were no signs that the pilot was planning to throw himself from the plane,” he said.
He said Bertazzo had flown with another student earlier that day, and that colleagues were surprised by what happened. Álvarez also stressed how hard it is to open a plane door in flight, comparing it to opening a car door at 200 kilometers per hour (124 miles per hour).
“He made this tragic decision on board an aircraft with another person by his side,” he said. “It’s impossible to think about it or understand it, but the human mind is so complex.”
Álvarez described Bertazzo as “a beautiful person with a great smile.” TN reported that Bertazzo had also worked as a flight instructor in neighboring Chile.
The investigation
On July 7, 2026, the federal prosecutor’s office in Córdoba announced that it was looking into Bertazzo’s death. The case had started with the provincial prosecution office in Río Segundo, headed by Patricia Baulies, which declared itself not competent and sent it to federal prosecutors.
Before handing it over, the provincial office placed the aircraft, which the federal notice identified as a Cessna 150G, under police custody. The notice said that was part of the initial measures.
Federal prosecutor Carlos Gonella took charge of the case during the judicial recess. The office said the aim was to clarify the circumstances of Bertazzo’s death.
On October 29, 2026, the prosecutor’s office updated its notice. The investigation was still underway, and no private complainants had joined the case.
