Flight instructor in Argentina jumps out of plane to his death mid-flight, student had to land plane alone

A flight instructor reportedly unstrapped himself and jumped to his death from a small aircraft mid-air, leaving his student pilot to land the plane alone.

The incident occurred over Toledo, Argentina, on Jul. 6, The U.S. Sun reported.

Leandro Bertazzo, 42, was found dead in a field following a 20-minute search after the alarm was raised.

Nightmare situation

Bertazzo and his student were flying a Cessna C-150, a two-seat general aviation aircraft typically used for flight training.

The student pilot said: “He took his headphones off, arranged his belongings including his mobile phone, took his seatbelt off, opened the door which is very difficult to open and jumped out.”

At one point in the flight, Bertazzo reportedly turned to her and said, "You know what to do, keep moving forward.”

The 22-year-old, who held a license but had limited flying experience, immediately raised the alarm and managed to land the aircraft safely on her own.

The director of the flight school said though she was "shaken", she embodied "complete professionalism" flying the plane back to the airfield and made a perfect landing.

He described her as "very clear, decisive, mature, and professional".

'No one expected this tragedy'

The director of the flight school remembered the deceased as a man who was "always smiling".

"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."

Bertazzo had previously described himself online as a former commercial pilot in Chile.

According to local reports, he had been receiving neuropsychiatric treatment, though it appears only close relatives were aware of this prior to the incident.

Earlier that same day, Bertazzo had successfully completed a flight with another student before entering the cockpit with the 22-year-old, the Daily Mail reported.

Local officers stated that the circumstances surrounding the tragedy are so unusual that they are currently unable to explain how the instructor came to fall from the aircraft.

Investigations are ongoing.