A flight instructor who jumped to his death during a training flight in Argentina had reportedly been under psychiatric care, but had not shared that information with his coworkers.
Leandro Bertazzo, 42, left the pilot’s seat of a Cessna 150 on July 4, forcing the 22-year-old student pilot on board to bring the aircraft down by herself.
Eduardo Álvarez, the director of the flight school where Bertazzo was employed, said he spoke with the instructor’s father on Saturday afternoon and was told Bertazzo had been going through “a bad time.”
Álvarez said the family also disclosed that Bertazzo had attended an appointment at a psychiatric hospital in the week before his death. His colleagues were not aware he had sought treatment, La Nación reported.
Under the flight school’s safety procedures, Álvarez explained, lessons must be halted if any issue emerges that could compromise a pilot’s fitness to fly. He conceded, however, that such concerns can be hard to identify when they are not reported.
“We are all shocked,” he said.
The student later said Bertazzo instructed her to stay on the planned route before telling her: “You know what you have to do.”
Leandro Bertazzo, 42, pictured, jumped from an aircraft mid-flight while instructing a student pilot
The 22-year-old was then forced to land the Cessna C-150 alone and unaided at Coronel Olmedo Airport, where they took off, and alerted authorities to the emergency situation
Emergency services were seen at the field where the Mr Bertazzo’s body was found
He then removed his headphones, gathered his belongings, put away his mobile phone, unfastened his seatbelt, opened the aircraft door and jumped.
Despite witnessing her instructor plunge to his death, the student managed to land the aircraft safely at Coronel Olmedo Airport, from where they had taken off.
Bertazzo, who described himself online as a former commercial pilot in Chile, was found dead around 20 minutes later in a field near the area the student indicated he had fallen.
His loved ones said he was single, had no children and lived with his parents in the city of Córdoba, according to Argentinian outlet Para Ti.
Describing Bertazzo as a man who was ‘always smiling’, Alvarez admitted no one had suspected he was about to take such a drastic step.
He said: ‘He took this tragic decision on board a plane with a person by his side.
‘There’s no way to think about it or understand it, but the human mind is so complex, so treacherous. That’s why what happened, happened.’
An investigation into the bizarre incident, which happened on Saturday afternoon near the town of Toledo in Argentina’s Córdoba province, is ongoing.
Officials say the circumstances are so unusual they cannot yet explain how the tragedy unfolded.
One line of inquiry is whether the incident may have been linked to a mechanical problem involving the aircraft door or one of its safety systems.
Investigators are examining the aircraft’s documentation, the flight school’s records and communications made while the plane was airborne before the instructor fell.
Local reports said Bertazzo had been receiving neuropsychiatric treatment, although only close relatives were said to have known before Saturday’s tragedy.
Alvarez praised the student’s actions, describing her as ‘very clear, decisive, mature and professional.’
He added: ‘She was very shaken, but with complete professionalism she flew the plane to the airfield and made a perfect landing. She maintained a very high level of training and professionalism.’
Earlier that day, Bertazzo had completed another training flight before taking off with the 22-year-old student.
