Student pilot left to land plane alone after instructor jumps to his death mid flight

Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.

A trainee pilot has spoken out after her instructor jumped from the window to his death while taking part in a lesson.

The 22-year-old student, who remains anonymous, was half way through a lesson when her instructor unlatched the window and jumped to his death.

42-year old Leandro Bertazzo reportedly hurled themselves out of the Cessna C150's window while flying over Toledo, Argentina on July the 4th.

The student reported that she watched Bertazzo plunge to her death. In the chaos and confusion of the event, she at first thought he might have a parachute.

She soon realised that this wasn't true.

A photo of the plane (LA NACION)

What happened once the instructor jumped out of the window?

Despite what must have been a harrowing ordeal, the student calmly reported the incident to the relevant authorities, before landing the plane on her own at Coronel Olmedo Airport in Cordoba.

This is despite her very limited experience flying solo.

Emergency services reported that Mr Bertazzo's body was recovered in a field 20 minutes later.

Eduardo Alvarez, director of the flight school Flying Parrot Cordoba where Mr Bertazzo worked as a trainer, revealed his version of events to Argentine media.

He explained that the student had told him he had ‘jumped’, adding: "[She 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."

"She sent a message informing about the situation and proceeded to return to the runway to land," he added, saying the student, who had a pilot’s licence but few flying hours under her belt, had been "very clear, decisive, mature and professional.

"She was very shaken, but with complete professionalism she flew the plane to the airfield and made a perfect landing," he added.

The incident occurred in Argentina's Flying Parrot Cordoba (Google Maps)

What were Mr Bertazzo's final words?

Media outlets have reported that Mr Bertazzo's final words were "You know what to do, keep moving forward," before he hurled himself out of the window.

Eduardo Alvarez added that this was deeply shocking, describing Mr Bertazzo as a cheerful man who was 'always smiling'.

He added: "He took this tragic decision on board a plane with a person by his side," he said. "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."

Argentinian police and emergency services are now investigating the incident, but because the event was out of the ordinary they may run into a brick wall trying to explain the full details surrounding the event.

One theory could be that there was a mechanical failure relating to the window hatch; or one of the plane's safety mechanisms.

It's believed the investigators will now go meticulously through the flight school documentation and the plane itself.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 to reach a 24-hour crisis center or you can webchat at 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.