A skilled pilot who documented her adventures on video has died in a small plane crash in Indiana while attempting a round-the-world solo flight. Anh-Thu Nguyen, 44, crashed shortly after takeoff from Greenwood, Indiana, on Wednesday morning, just after completing the first leg of her journey.
Nguyen, a commercial pilot and flight instructor, was attempting to recreate her successful 2024 solo flight around the world, which made her the 10th woman to achieve that feat. In a video recorded shortly before the crash, she expressed excitement about completing the first leg from Wisconsin to Indiana, with the next leg planned to Pennsylvania.
Witnesses reported seeing the plane bank oddly after takeoff before plummeting to the ground near a Circle K gas station. Frank Williams, who witnessed the crash, told WTHR: 'I pulled right up to the sight, jumped out of the truck. I could smell fuel and it was smoking. As I got close to the place I could tell there was no survivor.' The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
Nguyen, who moved to the US from Vietnam at age 12, used her platform to encourage women to pursue their goals. She was founding president of the nonprofit Asian Women in Aerospace and Aviation, which stated: 'Anh-Thu was an inspiring pilot, instructor, and advocate for girls and women in aerospace and aviation. She lived with boldness, curiosity, and drive.'
Friends and fellow pilots remembered her as full of life and passionate about aviation. In her final video, she urged fans to 'keep flying forward together.'
