A 22-year-old student pilot successfully landed a training aircraft on her own after her instructor tragically fell to his death mid-flight in Argentina. The accident occurred on Saturday in a rural area near Toledo, in the province of Córdoba, during a training flight aboard a Cessna C-150. The instructor, 42-year-old Leandro Andrés Bertazzo, was with the young woman when the incident happened. The aircraft had taken off from Coronel Olmedo airfield for a training session. During the flight, the man exited the plane under circumstances that are still under investigation.
The student pilot maintains control and rejoins the runway
Left alone at the controls, the young woman kept the aircraft airborne and managed to reach the airfield and land unharmed. She then raised the alarm. The instructor's body was found in a field near the search area. The student already held a private pilot's license, but had few flight hours. This is why she was required to fly with an instructor or a safety pilot. Despite the shock, she managed to follow procedures and bring the aircraft back to the ground.
The last words reported by the young woman
In her testimony, the young woman claims that Leandro Andrés Bertazzo asked her to continue the flight before leaving her seat. He allegedly told her: "You know what to do, keep going.". She then described a very specific moment: the instructor allegedly removed his helmet, stowed some belongings, unfastened his seatbelt, opened the aircraft door, and then exited the Cessna. This version of events now forms a central element of the investigation.
An experienced instructor, well-known in the school
Leandro Andrés Bertazzo was an airline pilot, first-class commercial pilot, and flight instructor. He had worked for several years at the Flying Parrot Córdoba flight school, based in Coronel Olmedo. Before the flight, he had completed another training session without any reported incidents. The school director explained that no one had noticed any unusual behavior before the tragedy. The instructor had arrived at the airfield as usual, greeted his colleagues, and begun his workday.
The investigation must establish the exact cause of the fall
Authorities are attempting to reconstruct minute by minute what happened in the cockpit. Investigators must verify the student pilot's testimony, the condition of the aircraft, pre-landing communications, and any technical elements related to the door or safety systems. At this stage, no definitive conclusions have been announced. The possibility of a deliberate act is being considered in the reconstruction of the case, but the investigation remains open, and further expert analysis is needed to clarify the exact circumstances of Leandro Andrés Bertazzo's death.
