Story perspectives

Student Lands Plane After Instructor Jumps, Dies; Investigation Launched

7/10/2026

Left

Rosario Lands

Director Eduardo Álvarez lauded the 22-year-old student’s professionalism after she safely landed the plane.
Flight instructor Leandro Andrés Bertazzo opened the door mid-flight and jumped, dying over Toledo, Argentina, while student Rosario landed aircraft.
Prosecutors said they will investigate the exact circumstances of the instructor’s death.
Bertazzo, an experienced instructor who taught in Chile, flew earlier that day with another student.

Right

Rosario Lands

Leandro Andrés Bertazzo had recently been admitted to a neuropsychiatric institute, a detail known only to his family.
When instructor Leandro Andrés Bertazzo jumped from a Cessna 150G over Córdoba, Argentina, student Rosario landed safely.
Director Eduardo Álvarez praised Rosario as clear, decisive, mature and professional for piloting the plane.
Authorities seized the aircraft and opened an investigation, noting Bertazzo’s experience despite no warning signs.

History

Historical Context

The International Civil Aviation Organization, created by the 1944 Chicago Convention and now followed by 188 contracting states, defines pilot medical standards in Annex 1. Those standards, periodically amended, include psychological assessment for flight instructors, a requirement that Argentine authorities are revisiting after a recent Cessna 150G door-opening incident involving instructor Leandro Andrés Bertazzo.

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Rosario Lands

Director Eduardo Álvarez lauded the 22-year-old student’s professionalism after she safely landed the plane.
Flight instructor Leandro Andrés Bertazzo opened the door mid-flight and jumped, dying over Toledo, Argentina, while student Rosario landed aircraft.
Prosecutors said they will investigate the exact circumstances of the instructor’s death.
Bertazzo, an experienced instructor who taught in Chile, flew earlier that day with another student.

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