The plane she was piloting fell behind a Circle K gas station on Main E. Main, while en route to Pennsylvania, authorities said.
Mr. Thu Nguyen was the only person on the plane and was on a second trip around the world. The cause of the accident is still being investigated.
Mr. Thu is the founder of the Asian Women in Aerospace & Aviation (AWAA). This is an organization established in 2018 to encourage, empower and attract the next generation of female pilots, aerospace engineers and STEM experts from Asia.
She is also the 10th female pilot and the first Vietnamese-origin pilot to fly solo around the world in 2024.
According to wish TV, Anh-Thu Nguyen was born in Tuy Hoa. At the age of 12, she and her family migrated to the US, living in poor circumstances and without relatives who wanted to support her. Despite being rejected by many coaches, she still persistently pursued her dream of becoming a pilot.
For a living, she works as a Math teacher with a salary of $6 an hour and a tuition fee, she lives in a car, and even takes temporary shelter at airports to complete flight training, the AWAA website wrote.
She later became an honorary flight instructor of AOPA (US laiers and pilots Association). Mr. Thu is also a pilot controlling the Boeing 767 for a large airline.
Mr. Thu graduated from high school with a first-class degree and was in the top 10 outstanding students at Purdue University with a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics. She continued to receive her Master of Science in Aerospace at Purdue. After that, she successfully defended her PhD in Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech).
In 2018, Anh-Thu founded the Asian Women in Aerospace & Aviation (AWAA) with the goal of inspiring and supporting the generation of Asian female students to pursue aviation, aerospace engineering and STEM.
Next, she opened the Dragon Flight Training Academy in Florida, where she trained many young pilots and promoted her risk assessment skills and safety decision-making on the flying flight.
In 2024, Anh-Thu became the 10th female pilot and the first person of Vietnamese origin to fly around the world alone, making 25 stops on the journey.
In an interview with Purdue University after the flight, she shared: "I wanted to fly, felt small and vulnerable, but at the same time felt strong and powerful."
Anh-Thu's fateful flight departed from Oshkosh, Wisconsin on July 27, and began the second leg from Indiana on the morning of July 30. Before takeoff, she shared in the final video: This is not just a flight. This is a mission to inspire the next generation of female pilots and aerospace engineers in Asia.
After the accident, the AWAA organization issued a commemorative statement: "We are saddened by the passing of the founder, friend, teacher and inspiration - Anh-Thu Nguyen. She is a symbol of courage, constant curiosity and the desire to rise up from hardship".
AWAA also called on the community to donate to the scholarship fund named after Anh-Thu to continue the journey she initiated, supporting girls to pursue their dreams in the fields of aviation and engineering.
