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Student pilot forced to land plane solo after instructor allegedly jumped midair to his death: Investigators

Cessna 150 in flight. (Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)

(TOLEDO, Argentina) — A 22-year-old pilot in Argentina was forced to land the plane she was training in after her instructor allegedly jumped midair to his death, investigators said. 

The unidentified student was taking lessons at the Flying Parrot Cordoba school and had taken off from Toledo on Saturday with her instructor, Leandro Bertazzo, a school official told ABC News.

During the lesson, Bertazzo allegedly jumped out of the plane after telling the student that she knew what to do, the student had told police, according to the school.

The student, who had a license but not enough flight hours, was able to land the Cessna 150 alone, according to investigators.

The student told the police that she could not believe that it happened and thought it was a joke, according to investigators.

The 42-year-old flight instructor’s body was recovered later that day, investigators said. The school said he was with them since 2022.

The Federal Prosecutor’s Office No. 2 of Córdoba said it would continue the investigation.

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