A 42-year-old Argentine flight instructor leapt to his death from a training aircraft mid-flight on 4 July 2026, leaving a 22-year-old student to land the plane alone. Leandro Andrés Bertazzo removed his headset, unfastened his seatbelt, opened the door and jumped from the Cessna C-150 at roughly 250 metres altitude over Toledo, in Córdoba province.
The student, identified only as Rosario, radioed air traffic control and landed safely at Coronel Olmedo Airport with no damage to the aircraft. Bertazzo's body was discovered in a nearby field about 20 minutes later.
Flight school director Eduardo Álvarez said Bertazzo had been undergoing neuropsychiatric treatment, and the instructor's father reported he had attended a psychiatric consultation a week before the incident. Álvarez noted that opening an aircraft door in flight is extremely difficult. Authorities are investigating the incident, including possible mechanical factors. Bertazzo had completed another instruction flight without incident earlier that morning.