Despite several notable exceptions recently, commercial flights are still incredibly safe. Small planes, on the other hand, crash much more frequently. Sadly, yet another small plane crash has claimed the life of Anh-Thu Nguyen, a Miami-area pilot who last year became the 10th woman to fly solo around the globe, CBS News reports. Nguyen was reportedly attempting to do it again when her plane went down Wednesday morning in Greenwood, Indiana, about 15 miles outside of Indianapolis. She was 44.
Currently, it isn’t clear what caused the crash, but according to CBS4 Indianapolis, witnesses say “the small plane began making a series of strange aerial maneuvers before it slammed into a grassy ditch.” As one witness Amanda Landwerlen told the news outlet, “The plane was kind of banking and they started to lower and then pulled up and started to roll, and I thought it’s like a sky show and they went straight into the ground.” Another witness, Frank Williams said, “She was banking hard left to go north, and all of the sudden, the nose dove and she went into a spin and just went straight down.”
As tragic as Nguyen’s crash is, it could have also been much worse. When her plane went down, it reportedly hit the ground only a few feet from a gas station. Thankfully, though, it landed far enough away that it didn’t end up causing a secondary explosion or claim any other lives. “This could have been a lot worse if they went into the gas station, but there’s no indication of how the crash occurred,” the Greenwood Fire Department’s Tyler Swardson told CBS4.
Who was Anh-Thu Nguyen?
Originally born in Vietnam, CBS News reports Anh-Thu Nguyen moved to the U.S. at 12, where she went on to attend Purdue University, earning her undergraduate degree in Mathematics and her master’s degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics. In 2018, she founded Asian Women in Aerospace and Aviation, a nonprofit with a goal “to encourage, empower and engage the next generation of Asian female pilots, aerospace engineers and STEM professionals.” In 2020, she also founded the Dragon Flight Training Academy.
Nguyen had reportedly logged more than 4,000 hours of flight time and had previously worked as a commercial pilot for Amazon. Last year, she became the 10th woman to ever fly around the world, making 25 different stops as she circled the globe. Following the news of Nguyen’s death the AWAA released a statement saying:
We are heartbroken by the sudden loss of our dear friend, founder, mentor, and leader, Anh-Thu Nguyen, who passed away in a tragic accident during her solo journey around the world.
Anh-Thu was an inspiring pilot, instructor, and advocate for girls and women in aerospace, engineering, and aviation. She lived with boldness, curiosity, and drive. She came from humble beginnings in Vietnam to becoming a beacon of hope to many.
Those wishing to honor her legacy may make a donation to the 501c3 nonprofit “Asian Women in Aerospace and Aviation” in her name; we will use the funds to continue her dream of helping young girls pursue their dreams and a scholarship in her name.
