A father revealed that a pilot, who tragically leaped to his death from a flying plane, had been going through challenging times. Leandro Bertazzo, aged 42, was instructing a 22-year-old student on a training flight over Córdoba, Argentina, on July 6 when he suddenly unbuckled himself.
Before his fatal jump, Bertazzo reportedly instructed the student to continue flying and then exited the plane. Despite initially thinking he had deployed a parachute, the student soon realized he had not. Bertazzo’s body was later discovered in a field near where he left the aircraft.
According to Eduardo Alvarez, the director of the flight school where Bertazzo worked, the pilot’s father mentioned that his son had been struggling emotionally. Reports indicated that Bertazzo had visited a psychiatric hospital a week prior to the incident and was living with his parents.
The student pilot received praise for landing the aircraft safely after the distressing event. Alvarez commended her for her professionalism and ability to bring the plane back to the airfield with a flawless landing.
Describing Bertazzo as a highly regarded and cheerful professional, Alvarez expressed disbelief at the tragic turn of events, especially considering Bertazzo’s positive demeanor earlier that day.
Despite Bertazzo’s outwardly positive disposition and recent job application with a major airline, no warning signs were detected during routine medical and mental health checks, as confirmed by colleagues. The Federal Justice of Córdoba in Argentina is currently investigating the incident.
