Ruan Anqiu died in a plane crash at the age of 44.

Nguyen An Thuong is the first female pilot from Vietnam and the tenth in the world to complete a round-the-world flight. On July 30 local time, this legendary female pilot, aged just 44, tragically lost her life in a plane crash in Greenwood, Indiana, USA.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said that Nguyen An Thuy had been documenting her journey on social media. Her small Lancair IVP aircraft crashed in Greenwood, Indiana, at around 10:45 a.m. local time on July 30. The cause of the crash remains unknown.

Nguyen An Thuy was the only passenger on board and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Nguyen An Thuy grew up in a remote village in Vietnam, where her greatest joy as a child was watching airplanes pass by in the sky. From that point on, she harbored a passion for aviation.

After moving to the United States at the age of 12, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Purdue University, followed by a Doctor of Philosophy in Aerospace Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. In 2018, Nguyen An Thuy founded the Asian Women in Aerospace and Aviation (AWAA) organization. According to its website, AWAA's mission is to “encourage, empower, and attract the next generation of Asian women pilots, aerospace engineers, and STEM professionals.”

Later, she earned a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in the United States. In 2024, she became the first woman from Vietnam and the 10th woman globally to complete a round-the-world flight.

In 2025, Nguyen An Thu plans to undertake another round-the-world flight spanning 25 countries, aiming to attract more attention and resources for AWAA.

At the time of the incident, Nguyen An Thuy was piloting a 2005 Lancair IV-P aircraft that took off from South Greenwood Airport in Indianapolis, Indiana, en route to Pennsylvania. This was the second leg of her second round-the-world flight, which she had undertaken a year later. The aircraft crashed behind a gas station in Greenwood after circling in the air.

Before takeoff, she went live to chat with her fans. In the video, she said, “I'm super excited today. Wish me luck, thank you all, see you in Pennsylvania, let's keep flying together.”