A pilot committed suicide by throwing himself out of the plane in mid-flight.

 

CÓRDOBA, ARGENTINA — July 6 — JMH International Consortium of Journalists

Leandro Andrés Bertazzo, a professional pilot and flight instructor, was giving a lesson to his student, 22-year-old Rosario, in a two-seater Cessna 150 aircraft when he uttered a chilling phrase: "You know what you have to do." Immediately afterward, he removed his headset, opened the plane door, and jumped from an altitude of about 250 meters. The young woman managed to land the plane; she was visibly shaken but unharmed.

The young man's body found in a field:

Unsure of his exact location, Leandro Álvarez and other colleagues set out to search for the instructor. Twenty minutes later, they found him dead in a field in a rural area south of the town of Toledo, Córdoba.

"That day, Leandro seemed just like any other day. He arrived cheerfully, greeting everyone warmly as always. The only thing that stood out was that, instead of driving his own car as usual, he had asked a student to pick him up from the home he shared with his parents in a neighborhood of Córdoba city. They had been chatting quite normally on the way over," recounted Leonel Álvarez, owner of the flight school and a friend of Bertazzo.

Around 8:00 PM that Saturday, he was finally able to contact the instructor's parents to deliver the sad and heartbreaking news: "I spoke with them. His father mentioned he had been going through a rough patch, but nothing more than that."

Bertazzo, a single man with no children, "was an excellent professional—always cheerful—and was admired by all his students," Álvarez noted. According to his social media profiles, the instructor had worked as a pilot in Chile and held a first-class commercial pilot's license in addition to his flight instructor certification.

The investigation into the suspected suicide has been placed under the jurisdiction of the Federal Court of Córdoba.

ARGENTINA. Suicide prevention assistance. National Ministry of Health. Toll-free public hotline available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Call 0800 345 1435

Reproduction permitted with attribution of the source.

JMH International Consortium of Journalists

CÓRDOBA. ARGENTINA —  Julio 6 — Consorcio Internacional de Periodistas JMH 

Leandro Andrés Bertazzo, piloto profesional e instructor de vuelo, estaba dándole una clase a su alumna, Rosario, de 22 años, en un avión Cessna 150 biplaza; cuando le dijo una frase estremecedora: " —  Vos sabés lo que tenés que hacer”.

Leandro Andrés Bertazzo, a professional pilot and flight instructor, was giving a lesson to his student, 22-year-old Rosario, in a two-seater Cessna 150 aircraft when he uttered a chilling phrase: "You know what you have to do." Immediately afterward, he removed his headset, opened the plane door, and jumped from an altitude of about 250 meters. The young woman managed to land the plane; she was visibly shaken but unharmed.

Acto seguido se quitó los auriculares, abrió la puerta del avión y saltó desde unos 250 metros. La chica pudo aterrizar, visiblemente emocionada pero sin daños.

El cuerpo del muchacho en un campo:

Sin saber dónde estaba exactamente, Leandro Álvarez y otros colegas salieron en busca del instructor. A los 20 minutos, lo hallaron sin vida en un campo en una zona rural al sur de la localidad cordobesa de Toledo.

“Ese día, habíamos visto a Leandro como cualquier otro. Llegó con alegría, a los besos como siempre. Solo llamó la atención que, en lugar de venir con su auto como siempre, le había pedido a un alumno que lo fuera a buscar a la casa donde vivía con sus padres en un barrio de la ciudad de Córdoba. Vinieron conversando de lo más bien”, contó Leonel Álvarez, dueño de la escuela de vuelo y amigo de Bertazzo.

Alrededor de las 20 de este sábado, el hombre pudo finalmente comunicarse con los padres del instructor para darles la triste y desgarradora noticia: “Estuve charlando con ellos. Solo el padre me contó algo de un mal momento, pero nada más”.

Bertazzo, que era un hombre soltero sin hijos, “era un excelente profesional, siempre alegre, que provocaba la admiración de todos sus alumnos”, destacó Álvarez. Según sus redes sociales, el instructor fue piloto en Chile y piloto comercial de primera clase de avión, además de instructor de vuelo.

La investigación por Averiguación de suicidio, quedó a cargo de la Justicia Federal de Córdoba.

ARGENTINA. Asistencia al suicida. Ministerio de Salud de la Nación. Teléfono público y gratuito, las 24 horas, los 365 días del año. 

Llamar 0800 345 1435

Permitida la reproducción con indicación de la fuente.

Consorcio Internacional de Periodistas JMH