Flight School Pilot Jumps To His Death From Moving Plane, Had Asked Student To ‘Carry On’

Last Updated:July 09, 2026, 09:54 IST

Pilot Andrés Bertazzo died after jumping from a moving plane in Toledo, Argentina. Later, his 22-year-old student managed to land the plane safely

A 42-year-old pilot jumped to death from the door of a moving plane in Argentina | Image credit: X/@arroba_machi

A 42-year-old pilot died after jumping midair from the door of a moving plane, leaving the student he was instructing to fly the aircraft alone. The incident occurred in Toledo, central Argentina, on Saturday.

Andrés Bertazzo –– an employee of the Flying Parrot Córdoba flying school –– was found dead following the incident. He was on board the Cessna 150 aircraft with a 22-year-old student named Rosarioaccording to CNN affiliate TN.

According to Rosario, Bertazzo told her: “You know what you have to do, carry on“. Moments later, he took off his headset and unbuckled the seatbelt before opening the door and jumping out of the moving plane.

Eduardo Álvarez, director of the Flying Parrot Córdoba flying school, said that the pilot had showed no signs that he was planning to jump midair, TN reported.

‘Impossible To Think, Understand’

Expressing grief over the incident, Álvarez told TN that it was difficult for him and his colleagues to process what happened. “He made this tragic decision on board an aircraft with another person by his side,” he said.

“It’s impossible to think about it or understand it, but the human mind is so complex”, he added.

Recalling Bertazzo as a”beautiful person with a great smile“, he said: “We are surprised that this has happened.”

Álvarez further explained that opening the door of aircraft mid-air is extremely difficult. He compared the scenario to opening the door of a car speeding at 200 kilometers an hour.

Student Managed To Land Plane Safely

Rosario –– the 22-year-old student who accompanied the deceased on the plane –– was able to land the plane safely despite being in “complete shock”, Álvarez adds TN.

The plane landed undamaged, he said.

Investigators will now probe the incident and the sequence of events that prompted the flight instructor to take the extreme step. Further details are awaited.

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