An American female pilot of Vietnamese descent, piloting a plane solo around the world for the second time, tragically died in a crash on the third day of her journey.
The 44-year-old pilot was Anh-Thu Nguyen (phonetic), a well-known and active aviator on the internet.
According to reports at around 10:30 a.m. local time on July 30, she had just taken off from Greenwood Airport South in Indiana when, just minutes later, tragedy struck. The plane crashed into a drainage ditch behind a gas station. The fuselage and wings were almost completely destroyed, and Anh-Thu Nguyen was killed instantly. No other people were affected or injured.
Moments before the crash, she was seen calmly fastening her shoulder straps and adjusting her tie in the cockpit—a final farewell to countless aviation enthusiasts and fans around the world.
Before takeoff, Anh-Thu Nguyen said, "Today I'm flying from Indiana to Pennsylvania. I'm very excited."
Nguyen held a commercial pilot’s license and was a flight instructor. Born in Vietnam, she immigrated to the United States with her family at the age of 12 and was committed to promoting and encouraging more women to participate in the aviation and aerospace industries.
In 2020, Anh-Thu Nguyen piloted a small aircraft solo across 25 countries, completing a solo round-the-world flight and becoming the 10th female pilot globally to achieve this feat.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation.