A pilot trying to become the first Vietnamese woman to fly solo around the world was killed when her small plane crashed in Indiana.
Anh-Thu Nguyen, a Vietnamese-born flight instructor, had just taken off from the Indy South Greenwood Airport bound for Pennsylvania on the second leg of her global flight when her 2005 Lancair IV-P spiraled out of the sky and crashed behind a gas station in Greenwood, according to the Indianapolis Star.
The 44-year-old was the sole occupant and was pronounced dead at the scene. Nobody on the ground was injured, the Daily Journal reported.
Nguyen was just three days into the journey, which she hoped would inspire future generations of Asian women to become pilots, she said in a Facebook video posted just minutes before her plane went down.
“I just completed the first leg of my solo flight around the world,” she said in the clip. “This is more than just a flight. It’s a mission to inspire the next generation of Asian female pilots and aerospace engineers and STEM professionals.”
“Let’s keep flying forward together. … Thank you,” Nguyen told her followers.
Nguyen’s circumnavigation attempt officially began on July 27 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. She flew from there to Indiana and was due to land in Pennsylvania before the plane crashed just before 11 a.m.
Witness Frank Williams told the Star the aircraft was eerily silent as it fell toward the ground.
“There was no explosion, and there was no fire. I pulled right up, and I could smell fuel. As I got close to the plane, I could tell there wasn’t a survivor,” Williams said.
The pilot was born in Vietnam and moved to the US when she was 12, according to the paper.
Nguyen studied at Purdue University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in math and a master’s in aeronautics and astronautics. She later received a doctorate in aeronautics and astronautics engineering from Georgia Tech.
She was most recently working as the chief flight instructor at Dragon Flight Training Academy.
In 2018, she launched the Asian Women in Aerospace and Aviation Inc., a nonprofit focused on empowering female Asian pilots.
“We are heartbroken by the sudden loss of our dear friend, founder, mentor, and leader, Anh-Thu Nguyen, who passed away in a tragic accident during her solo journey around the world,” the organization posted in a touching tribute.
“Anh-Thu was an inspiring pilot, instructor, and advocate for girls and women in aerospace, engineering, and aviation. She lived with boldness, curiosity, and drive. She came from humble beginnings in Vietnam to becoming a beacon of hope to many.”
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