A female pilot was attempting to become the first Vietnamese woman to make a solo flying trip around the world. Unfortunately, the pilot, Anh-Thu Nguyen, died after her plane crashed in Indiana.
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Vietnamese Female Pilot Dies In Plane Crash While Making Solo Trip Around The World
According to PEOPLE, this 44-year-old pilot crashed her Lancair IVP in Greenwood. This was on Wednesday, July 30, around 10:45 AM local time. She had only recently taken off from the Indy South Greenwood Airport and was traveling to Pennsylvania, per the Indianapolis Star.
Only a few minutes into her flight, witnesses could see Nguyen’s 2005 plane spiraling mid-air. It crash-landed on a hill near a Circle K gas station, killing her on impact.
A statement from the Johnson County Coroner’s Office confirmed that Nguyen was the victim. She had graduated from Purdue University in 2015 and became a flight instructor.
Not only that, but right before her flight, Nguyen posted a Reels on Facebook announcing the second leg of her journey. “Hi everyone, I’m super excited today,” the haunting video began. “I just completed the first leg of my solo flight around the world a few days ago from Oshkosh to Indiana.”
The pilot explained how this was more than just a normal slight. “It’s a mission to inspire the next generation of Asian female pilots, aerospace engineers, and STEM professionals,” said Nguyen. “Wish me luck, thank you and I will see you in Pennsylvania.”
Not only did Nguyen launch Asian Women in Aerospace and Aviation Inc., a nonprofit organization, but she also became a chief flight instructor for Dragon Flight Training Academy in Georgia.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of Nguyen’s fatal crash. Although we don’t know what happened, witnesses got a closer look at the accident. Bystander Frank Williams recalled the plane nosediving quietly from the sky.
“There was no explosion, and there was no fire,” said Williams. “I pulled right up, and I could smell fuel. As I got close to the plane, I could tell there wasn’t a survivor.”
Another witness told WSVN a similar tale. “The plane was kind of going like this and banking, and then it started to lower,” said Amanda Landwerlen.