A student pilot in Argentina was forced to land a plane by herself after her instructor reportedly gave her a haunting final message, opened the aircraft door mid-flight and fell to his death.
Leandro Andrés Bertazzo, 42, was overseeing a training flight with a 22-year-old female student when the terrifying incident unfolded near the countryside of Toledo, south of Córdoba.
According to the student, Bertazzo’s final words to her were chillingly calm.
“You know what you have to do,” he allegedly told her. “Keep going forward.”
Moments later, the experienced commercial aviator reportedly removed his headphones, placed down his mobile phone and unfastened his seatbelt. He then opened the door of the Cessna C-150 light aircraft and plunged from the plane at roughly 820 feet.
Opening a cabin door during flight is considered extremely difficult because of air pressure, making the incident even more stunning to those familiar with aviation.
The student pilot, suddenly alone in the aircraft, immediately called for help and followed emergency protocols. Despite being in shock, she managed to take control of the plane and land it safely at the airfield without further trouble.
The aircraft was not damaged, including the door, and the student was not physically injured.
Flying Parrot Flight School director Eduardo Álvarez, who received the student’s distress call, said she showed “great level-headedness” under horrifying pressure.
At first, the student reportedly thought Bertazzo may have used a parachute. But she soon realized he had not.
Álvarez and his team launched a search and found Bertazzo’s body in a field within about 15 minutes. Emergency responders confirmed he was dead at the scene.
The tragedy has stunned Argentina’s aviation community, especially because colleagues said Bertazzo had shown no obvious signs that anything was wrong. Just hours earlier, he had completed a routine re-training flight with another student without incident.
Coworkers described him as cheerful, dedicated and always well-presented. Bertazzo had about a decade of training experience, had worked at the Córdoba flight school for four years and had previously flown in Chile, according to NeedToKnow.
Álvarez, who considered Bertazzo a close friend, said the loss has left everyone at the school shaken.
“He arrived, we greeted each other with a kiss and a hug as always,” Álvarez recalled. “We are all in shock. There is no way to understand what happened.”
He also revealed that Bertazzo had been trying to land a job with a major commercial airline.
It later emerged that Bertazzo had reportedly received psychiatric care, though that information was apparently known only to his relatives. His coworkers said they had not noticed any warning signs during the mandatory physical and psychological evaluations carried out twice a year.
Federal authorities in Córdoba have launched an investigation into the incident. Investigators are reviewing every detail, though witness accounts reportedly point toward an intentional act.
