According to the trainee’s account, instructor Leandro Andrés Bertazzo told her moments before the incident, “You know what you have to do.” He then removed his headset, set down his mobile phone, and opened the door of the two-seat Cessna aircraft while it was flying at an altitude of about 250 meters.
The trainee maintained control of the aircraft and immediately alerted the flight school, which launched a search operation.
About 20 minutes later, Bertazzo’s body was found in a field south of the town of Toledo in Cordoba province.
The director of the flight school said nothing had indicated such an outcome. He said Bertazzo arrived at the training center in good spirits, had completed an earlier training flight without incident and was preparing an application to join a major airline.
The director added that the mandatory psychophysical examinations required for pilots had not identified any condition that would have affected Bertazzo’s fitness to fly.
Following the incident, however, Bertazzo’s father told local media that his son had been receiving psychiatric care because of personal difficulties.
An experienced airline pilot and flight instructor, Bertazzo was described by colleagues and students as a respected professional with a passion for aviation.
A federal court in Cordoba has opened an investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident and establish its exact cause.
