Tammie Jo Shults is an American aircraft pilot known to be one of the first female U.S. Navy pilots and among the first women to fly F-18s. ^{[undefined] [1]} In April 2018 she went viral for saving the lives of people after safely landing a Dallas-bound Flight 1380 at Philadelphia International Airport due to a mid-air explosion that took place 32,000 Ft in the air. Unfortunately, for one passenger, Jennifer Riordan, she died of her injuries after being taken to the hospital after the landing. ^{[1] [undefined]}

Jo Shults is native of the state of New Mexico where she lived for most of her younger life. She was raised Christian and continues to practice the faith. ^[undefined] While in high school, she became interested in aviation after the aviation career day at her high school told her that girls were not allowed to fly aircrafts and that they are not allowed to be a part of the program. ^[undefined]

Shults and her husband, Dean who is also a fellow pilot and captain at Southwest airlines, are the parents of two teens, Sydney and Marshall.

They live together in Fair Oaks Ranch, Texas. ^[1]

Jo Shults would later move to Olathe, Kansas and studied at MidAmerica Nazarene University and graduated in 1983. ^{[undefined] [undefined]} Although she wanted to become a pilot, she attended MNU for the pre-med program as she studied to veterinary medicine and received her degree in biology and agribusiness. ^{[1] [undefined] [undefined]}

In 2017, she was honored for her career as a pilot and for her many accomplishments.

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After graduating college, she applied for the Air force but later found out that she would not be allowed to take the test to become a pilot. The U.S. Navy however, was more welcoming.

Shults would become one of the first female fighter pilots in the history of the United States military and of the only women to fly F-18s.

She landed her fighter plane on boats at 150 miles per hour.

Although she wasn’t allowed to fly in combat, she did fly as an aggressor pilot.

After graduating from the academy, she would be allowed to also became an instructor.

After a successful career, she resigned her commission in 1993.

Since the early 1990s she has been a captain for the Southwest Airlines working alongside her husband, who is also a pilot and a captain. She has expressed that her experience of her sitting in the captain's chair reminds her that she is closer to Jesus. She says: “the opportunity to witness for Christ on almost every flight.” ^[undefined]

In the Tuesday of morning April 17th, 2018, while piloting Flight 1380 from New York to Dallas, an explosion that broke off the left side of the engine occurred to the plane. She was forced her to have an emergency landing at Philadelphia International Airport. The mid-air explosion that took place 32,000 Ft in the air and took the life of a woman after she was nearly sucked out of the airplane. ^[undefined]

The woman in the flight that lost her life after nearly being sucked out from the plane due to the explosion has been identified as Jennifer Riordan. She was taken to the hospital where she died from the injuries. ^[undefined]

Many of the passengers on board recorded themselves on their cell phones as leaving their final goodbyes.

Captain Shults however communicated with Air Traffic Control.

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