A flight instructor jumped to his death from a small plane in mid-air, forcing a 22-year-old student pilot to land the aircraft by herself, a report said.

The incident occurred Monday, July 6, over Toledo, Argentina, when the instructor exited a Cessna C-150 while airborne. After a brief search, his body was reportedly found in a nearby field.

The student pilot, who held a license but had limited experience, described the moment in detail. She said the instructor took off his headphones, adjusted his belongings including a mobile phone, removed his seatbelt, and jumped out—an action she characterized as difficult to do from the cockpit.

After the instructor left the aircraft, the student immediately alerted authorities and was guided through the emergency by air traffic personnel. Despite being on her first solo responsibility in that situation, she kept flying and eventually brought the plane in for a safe landing at an airfield.

A director at the flight school where the instructor worked said the student was shaken but remained professional, calling her response “clear, decisive, mature and professional.”