‘You know what to do’: Flight instructor’s last words to trainee before jumping off plane

The 42-year-old flight instructor with Flying Parrot Córdoba flying school, Leandro Andrés Bertazzo, was on board the Cessna 150 aircraft giving flying lessons to a 22-year-old student named Rosario, in Toledo, central Argentina.

A pilot jumped out of a moving plane and died in Argentina on Saturday, prompting the student he was teaching to fly to land the aircraft by herself.

The 42-year-old flight instructor with Flying Parrot Córdoba flying school, Leandro Andrés Bertazzo, was on board the Cessna 150 aircraft giving flying lessons to a 22-year-old student named Rosario, in Toledo, central Argentina.

Rosario said that Bertazzo told her, “You know what you have to do, carry on”, before he took off his headphones, unfastened his seatbelt, and opened the door of the aircraft to jump out of the plane.

The plane was unharmed, but Rosario was in shock.

Eduardo Álvarez, the director of the flying school, said that he had not noticed any signs of the pilot’s plan to take the extreme step in the middle of a flying session.

Earlier that day, Bertazzo had gone on a flight with another student, Álvarez said. “He made this tragic decision on board an aircraft with another person by his side. It’s impossible to think about it or understand it, but the human mind is so complex.”

Describing Bertazzo as “a beautiful person with a great smile”, Álvarez said, “We are surprised that this has happened.”

He explained that opening the door of any plane in mid-air is very difficult, and is like trying to open the door of a car moving at 200 km an hour.

Bertazzo was highly experienced and worked as a flight instructor in neighboring Chile.

Probe into the incident is underway.

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A pilot jumped out of a moving plane and died in Argentina on Saturday, prompting the student he was teaching to fly to land the aircraft by herself.

The 42-year-old flight instructor with Flying Parrot Córdoba flying school, Leandro Andrés Bertazzo, was on board the Cessna 150 aircraft giving flying lessons to a 22-year-old student named Rosario, in Toledo, central Argentina.

Rosario said that Bertazzo told her, “You know what you have to do, carry on”, before he took off his headphones, unfastened his seatbelt, and opened the door of the aircraft to jump out of the plane.

The plane was unharmed, but Rosario was in shock.

Eduardo Álvarez, the director of the flying school, said that he had not noticed any signs of the pilot’s plan to take the extreme step in the middle of a flying session.

Earlier that day, Bertazzo had gone on a flight with another student, Álvarez said. “He made this tragic decision on board an aircraft with another person by his side. It’s impossible to think about it or understand it, but the human mind is so complex.”

Describing Bertazzo as “a beautiful person with a great smile”, Álvarez said, “We are surprised that this has happened.”

He explained that opening the door of any plane in mid-air is very difficult, and is like trying to open the door of a car moving at 200 km an hour.

Bertazzo was highly experienced and worked as a flight instructor in neighboring Chile.

Probe into the incident is underway.