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Flight instructor was ‘going through hard time’ when he jumped from plane

Story from Jam Press (Pilot Mysteriously Jumps) Pictured: Leandro Andr?s Bertazzo. A 42-year-old pilot has mysteriously fallen to his death during a flight as a young trainee was forced to land the plane. Leandro Andr?s Bertazzo, 42, reportedly opened the door and jumped from the aircraft while in mid-air. The qualified commercial pilot was conducting a training flight with the 22-year-old woman when he allegedly jumped. The student pilot was forced to take control and land the Cessna C-150 light aircraft safely on her own. According to the student, named Rosario, Leandro told her ?you know what you have to do? and ?keep going forward?. The pilot, who worked for Flying Parrot Flight School in C?rdoba, Argentina, then removed his headphones, set aside his mobile phone, and unfastened his seatbelt. Rosario said he then opened the cabin door ? described as extremely difficult in flight due to air pressure ? and jumped from an altitude of about 820 feet (250 metres). The aircraft was flying near the rural area of Toledo, south of C?rdoba, when the incident occurred. The student immediately radioed for help, followed emergency procedures and landed the undamaged plane at the airfield without further incident. School director Eduardo ?lvarez, who received the alert from the student, said she was in shock but acted with ?great level-headedness?. She initially thought her instructor might have deployed a parachute but soon realised he had not. Eduardo and colleagues took off to search and located Leandro?s body in a field within 15 minutes. The emergency services confirmed his death at the scene. The instructor had flown earlier that day with another student on a re-training flight with no issues. Colleagues described him as cheerful, professional and impeccably presented, with no visible signs of distress. He had worked at the school for four years after a decade of training there and had previously flown in Chile, as reported by NeedToKnow. Eduardo, who called Leandro a friend, said: ?He arrived, we greeted each other with a kiss and a hug as always? We are all in shock. ?There is no way to understand what happened.? He added that Leandro had been applying for a position with a major airline. It later emerged that Leandro had reportedly received psychiatric treatment, a detail known only to his family. No colleagues had detected any warning signs during physical and mental health checks required every six months. The Federal Justice of C?rdoba is investigating the incident, which has stunned the local aviation community. Officials are examining all circumstances, although witness accounts point to a deliberate act. The student was unharmed and the aircraft sustained no damage, including to the door. ENDS EDITOR?S NOTES Fair Dealing / Fair Use: In limited cases, Jam Press may distribute material under fair dealing/fair use principles for legitimate editorial reporting purposes. Jam Press accepts responsibility for licensed editorial publisher usage only. Any additional client usage, including use across owned social media channels, commercial marketing or non-editorial purposes, remains the responsibility of the client.
Leandro Bertazzo’s body was found in a field after he jumped to his death (Picture: Jam Press)

The flight instructor who jumped to his death from a plane in Argentina was going through a ‘difficult time’ before he died.

An unnamed 22-year-old student had been training with her instructor, 42-year-old Leandro Bertazzo, over Toledo, Argentina, on July 4, when he reportedly opened the window of the Cessna C150 plane and jumped.

Leandro’s father told the director of the Flying Parrot flying school, Eduardo Alvarez, that his son was going through a ‘difficult time’ before the tragedy.

Alvarez added that Leandro’s family told him he had a consultation at a psychiatric hospital a week before his death.

Leandro lived with his parents in Cordoba, Argentina, and was single with no children.

He’s been remembered as a ‘wonderful person’ with a ‘great smile and clear outlook on life’.

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Story from Jam Press (Pilot Mysteriously Jumps) Pictured: The plane that was reportedly being flown by Leandro Andr?s Bertazzo. A 42-year-old pilot has mysteriously fallen to his death during a flight as a young trainee was forced to land the plane. Leandro Andr?s Bertazzo, 42, reportedly opened the door and jumped from the aircraft while in mid-air. The qualified commercial pilot was conducting a training flight with the 22-year-old woman when he allegedly jumped. The student pilot was forced to take control and land the Cessna C-150 light aircraft safely on her own. According to the student, named Rosario, Leandro told her ?you know what you have to do? and ?keep going forward?. The pilot, who worked for Flying Parrot Flight School in C?rdoba, Argentina, then removed his headphones, set aside his mobile phone, and unfastened his seatbelt. Rosario said he then opened the cabin door ? described as extremely difficult in flight due to air pressure ? and jumped from an altitude of about 820 feet (250 metres). The aircraft was flying near the rural area of Toledo, south of C?rdoba, when the incident occurred. The student immediately radioed for help, followed emergency procedures and landed the undamaged plane at the airfield without further incident. School director Eduardo ?lvarez, who received the alert from the student, said she was in shock but acted with ?great level-headedness?. She initially thought her instructor might have deployed a parachute but soon realised he had not. Eduardo and colleagues took off to search and located Leandro?s body in a field within 15 minutes. The emergency services confirmed his death at the scene. The instructor had flown earlier that day with another student on a re-training flight with no issues. Colleagues described him as cheerful, professional and impeccably presented, with no visible signs of distress. He had worked at the school for four years after a decade of training there and had previously flown in Chile, as reported by NeedToKnow. Eduardo, who called Leandro a friend, said: ?He arrived, we greeted each other with a kiss and a hug as always? We are all in shock. ?There is no way to understand what happened.? He added that Leandro had been applying for a position with a major airline. It later emerged that Leandro had reportedly received psychiatric treatment, a detail known only to his family. No colleagues had detected any warning signs during physical and mental health checks required every six months. The Federal Justice of C?rdoba is investigating the incident, which has stunned the local aviation community. Officials are examining all circumstances, although witness accounts point to a deliberate act. The student was unharmed and the aircraft sustained no damage, including to the door. ENDS EDITOR?S NOTES Fair Dealing / Fair Use: In limited cases, Jam Press may distribute material under fair dealing/fair use principles for legitimate editorial reporting purposes. Jam Press accepts responsibility for licensed editorial publisher usage only. Any additional client usage, including use across owned social media channels, commercial marketing or non-editorial purposes, remains the responsibility of the client.
He’s been remembered for his smile and great outlook (Picture: Jam Press)

Alvarez added: ‘He was an excellent professional, always cheerful, and greatly admired by all his students.’

The student’s account of the incident states that she watched Bertazzo plunge to his death. While she previously thought he had deployed a parachute, she soon realised that was not the case.

Despite witnessing such a harrowing moment — and having only limited experience in flying — the student raised the alarm before landing the plane safely and unaided at Coronel Olmedo Airport, which is based in Cordoba and commonly used by flight schools for training pilots.

Story from Jam Press (Pilot Mysteriously Jumps) Pictured: Emergency services at the location where the pilot's body was found. A 42-year-old pilot has mysteriously fallen to his death during a flight as a young trainee was forced to land the plane. Leandro Andr?s Bertazzo, 42, reportedly opened the door and jumped from the aircraft while in mid-air. The qualified commercial pilot was conducting a training flight with the 22-year-old woman when he allegedly jumped. The student pilot was forced to take control and land the Cessna C-150 light aircraft safely on her own. According to the student, named Rosario, Leandro told her ?you know what you have to do? and ?keep going forward?. The pilot, who worked for Flying Parrot Flight School in C?rdoba, Argentina, then removed his headphones, set aside his mobile phone, and unfastened his seatbelt. Rosario said he then opened the cabin door ? described as extremely difficult in flight due to air pressure ? and jumped from an altitude of about 820 feet (250 metres). The aircraft was flying near the rural area of Toledo, south of C?rdoba, when the incident occurred. The student immediately radioed for help, followed emergency procedures and landed the undamaged plane at the airfield without further incident. School director Eduardo ?lvarez, who received the alert from the student, said she was in shock but acted with ?great level-headedness?. She initially thought her instructor might have deployed a parachute but soon realised he had not. Eduardo and colleagues took off to search and located Leandro?s body in a field within 15 minutes. The emergency services confirmed his death at the scene. The instructor had flown earlier that day with another student on a re-training flight with no issues. Colleagues described him as cheerful, professional and impeccably presented, with no visible signs of distress. He had worked at the school for four years after a decade of training there and had previously flown in Chile, as reported by NeedToKnow. Eduardo, who called Leandro a friend, said: ?He arrived, we greeted each other with a kiss and a hug as always? We are all in shock. ?There is no way to understand what happened.? He added that Leandro had been applying for a position with a major airline. It later emerged that Leandro had reportedly received psychiatric treatment, a detail known only to his family. No colleagues had detected any warning signs during physical and mental health checks required every six months. The Federal Justice of C?rdoba is investigating the incident, which has stunned the local aviation community. Officials are examining all circumstances, although witness accounts point to a deliberate act. The student was unharmed and the aircraft sustained no damage, including to the door. ENDS EDITOR?S NOTES Fair Dealing / Fair Use: In limited cases, Jam Press may distribute material under fair dealing/fair use principles for legitimate editorial reporting purposes. Jam Press accepts responsibility for licensed editorial publisher usage only. Any additional client usage, including use across owned social media channels, commercial marketing or non-editorial purposes, remains the responsibility of the client.
His body was found in a nearby field (Picture: Jam Press)

Before he fell to his death, Leandro took off his headphones, arranged his personal belongings on board, took off his seatbelt and opened the door to jump.

Reports said his body was found in a nearby field 20 minutes later.

It’s also been reported that at one point during the flight Mr Bertazzo told her: ‘You know what to do, keep moving forward.’

An investigation into the instructor’s death is ongoing with officials saying the circumstances surrounding the accident are so unusual they are unable to explain how it might have happened.

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