Pilot Wanted to Fly Solo Around World Again. She Shared One Last Message Before Fatal Flight

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3 days ago

Anh-Thu Nguyen hoped to inspire other Asian female aviators through her travelsNEED TO KNOW
A 44-year-old female pilot is dead after her small plane crashed in Indiana on July 30
In 2024, she became the 10th woman to fly solo around the globe, and was recreating that journey before the accident
"I'm super excited today," the pilot told her followers on social media that same morningA 44-year-old female pilot died after her small plane crashed in Indiana as she was beginning another solo flight around the world.
On Wednesday, July 30, at around 10:45 a.m. local time, a Lancair IVP crashed in Greenwood, killing the one person on board, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
'Preliminary information indicates the airplane crashed shortly after departure from Indy South Greenwood Airport,' the lead investigating agency, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), confirms to PEOPLE in a statement on Thursday, July 31. An NTSB investigator is on the scene.
The Johnson County Coroner's Office confirmed that the pilot who died was Anh-Thu Nguyen from Miami, according to a statement shared on Facebook on Wednesday.
PEOPLE has contacted both the Greenwood Fire Department and Greenwood Police Department.
In a now haunting Facebook reel, Nguyen posted a status of her journey on the morning of the fatal crash.
'I'm super excited today. I just completed the first leg of my solo flight around the world a few days ago from Oshkosh to Indiana,' said Nguyen, who became the 10th woman to fly solo around the globe in 2024, according to her alma mater Purdue University, where she earned her Master of Science degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics in 2015.
'This is more than just a flight, okay?' she continued from the cockpit. 'It's a mission to inspire the next generation of Asian female pilots, aerospace engineers and STEM professionals.'
For the second leg of her trip, Nguyen planned on flying from Indiana to Pennsylvania, she told her followers. 'Wish me luck, thank you and I will see you in Pennsylvania,' she said. 'Let's keep flying forward, together.'
While an investigation into the crash is ongoing, witnesses shared what they saw that morning.
'The plane was kind of going like this and banking, and then it started to lower,' Amanda Landwerlen, who saw the crash, told FOX affiliate WSVN.
'The nose dove, she went into a spin and just came straight down,' another witness, Frank Williams, told the outlet.
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Nguyen's last public statement wasn't just words – it was a mission. She grew up in Vietnam, and was fascinated by the airplanes that would fly over her village, she told Purdue's School of Aeronautics and Astronautics publication, Aerogram.
The aspiring aviator moved to the United States when she was 12. After earning her degrees, Nguyen founded the nonprofit Asian Women in Aerospace & Aviation (AWAA) in 2018. The pilot wanted to inspire other Asian women and young girls to join the field she loved so much.
In a statement, the organization mourned their passionate leader.
'Anh-Thu was an inspiring pilot, instructor, and advocate for girls and women in aerospace, engineering, and aviation,' AWAA said. 'She lived with boldness, curiosity, and drive. She came from humble beginnings in Vietnam to becoming a beacon of hope to many.'
In her home state of Florida, Nguyen also made an impact with the Dragon Flight Training Academym which she opened in Pembroke Pines five years ago.
'I love being a flight instructor because I'm able to share my knowledge while at the same time learning more about aviation myself,' she told Aerogram.
According to the academy, Nguyen was an award-winning instructor with over 5,000 hours of experience.
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In a GoFundMe created to fund Nguyen's flight around the world, the organizer spoke about how Nguyen had impacted her own life and dreams of flying.
'Her life stories are inspirational and have taught me and other women around her to dare to dream the impossible even when things are difficult,' the organizer wrote. 'She is truly my heroine and quite simply a living legend in my eyes.'
Read the original article on People