Flight instructor jumps to his death from plane mid-flight in Córdoba, Argentina
A 42-year-old flight instructor leapt from a small aircraft during a training flight in Argentina. His 22-year-old student landed safely. No suicide note or explanation was found.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Flight instructor jumps to his death from plane mid-flight in Córdoba, Argentina
A 42-year-old flight instructor, Leandro Andrés Bertazzo, died last Saturday after throwing himself from a small aircraft mid-flight during an instructional flight in the province of Córdoba, Argentina. His 22-year-old student managed to keep control of the aircraft, alerted the flight school with a text message from her mobile phone and landed unharmed.
According to statements by Álvarez, director of the Flying Parrot flight school, reported by local media, the pilot unbuckled his seatbelt, took off his headset and peine the plane's door "with some kind of powerful strength". The director said that, given the force of the wind, it is "impossible" to open the door in flight, comparable to opening a car door at 300 km/h, and that he cannot understand how he managed it without breaking it. There is no suicide note and the motives remain unknown.
The young woman already held a pilot's licence and was flying confidently enough to land on her own. The news has reignited the debate about cockpit safety protocols and pilots' mental health, a sensitive issue after cases such as Germanwings flight 9525 in 2015. Unlike that incident, in this case the instructor put no one but himself at risk.
The authorities are investigating the causes of the suicide, which remains a mystery.
A 42-year-old flight instructor, Leandro Andrés Bertazzo, died last Saturday after throwing himself from a small aircraft mid-flight during an instructional flight in the province of Córdoba, Argentina. His 22-year-old student managed to keep control of the aircraft, alerted the flight school with a text message from her mobile phone and landed unharmed.
According to statements by Álvarez, director of the Flying Parrot flight school, reported by local media, the pilot unbuckled his seatbelt, took off his headset and peine the plane's door "with some kind of powerful strength". The director said that, given the force of the wind, it is "impossible" to open the door in flight, comparable to opening a car door at 300 km/h, and that he cannot understand how he managed it without breaking it. There is no suicide note and the motives remain unknown.
The young woman already held a pilot's licence and was flying confidently enough to land on her own. The news has reignited the debate about cockpit safety protocols and pilots' mental health, a sensitive issue after cases such as Germanwings flight 9525 in 2015. Unlike that incident, in this case the instructor put no one but himself at risk.
The authorities are investigating the causes of the suicide, which remains a mystery.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (88 replies).
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