The wreckage of a small plane that crashed behind the Circle K gas station at Main Street and Sheek Road in Greenwood on Wednesday morning. The pilot, Anh-Thu Nguyen, of Miami, Florida, died in the crash.
Daily Journal File Photo
By Noah Crenshaw | Daily Journal
For The Republic
GREENWOOD — The pilot who died in a plane crash near the heart of Greenwood is being remembered for her advocacy for Asian women in aviation and science careers.
Anh-Thu Nguyen, 44, died after her small plane crashed Wednesday morning behind the Circle K at 1183 E. Main St. The aircraft, a Lancair IV-P manufactured in 2005, had landed in the grassy area between the gas station and a drainage pond. The Miami, Florida, woman was the sole occupant of the plane, and no one on the ground was injured in the crash.
Nguyen, who was also a flight instructor, was attempting to circumnavigate the globe at the time of her death and become the first Vietnamese women to do so. She posted her journey online.
In a Lancair 4P N49BX, she flew into Greenwood on July 27, following the first leg of her journey that began in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Nguyen died as she was setting off on the second leg of her journey to circumnavigate the globe. On Wednesday, she was set to fly from Greenwood to Pennsylvania, she said in a Facebook Reel before taking off for her flight.
Nguyen took off from Indy South Greenwood Airport at 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, according to FlightAware, a flight tracker and records website. Minutes later, the flight crashed. First responders first began receiving calls at about 10:47 a.m.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board as of Thursday afternoon. A preliminary report posted on the FAA’s website says the aircraft crashed under unknown circumstances, and that it occurred on the initial climb out of the airport.
Nguyen was a 2015 graduate of Purdue University, was an instructor at Dragon Flight Training Academy at North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines, Florida. She was also the founder of Asian Women in Aerospace and Aviation Inc., or AWAA, a nonprofit organization that provides scholarships, mentorship and opportunities for Asian women pursuing careers as pilots.
In both 2017 and 2023, she was named a distinguished flight instructor by Aircraft Owners Pilots Association in the years 2017 and 2023. With more than 5,000 hours of flight experience, she worked half-time as a Boeing 757 and 767 pilot, while also working as a flight instructor, according to Dragon Flight Academy’s website.
She worked more than six years to begin the journey around the world, she said in a Facebook reel.
Nguyen was profiled by Ninety-Nines Magazine, a publication for the international organization of licensed women pilots from 44 countries, in 2022 and by Purdue University’s School of Aeronautics and Astronautics in Aerogram, a magazine published by the university, in 2024. She spoke with the publications of her journey to becoming a pilot and her struggles.
Growing up in Vietnam, Nguyen was fascinated by the airplanes that soared above her remote village, she told the publication.
“I longed to have that experience of flying and controlling a plane, of feeling small and vulnerable yet at the same time so powerful,” she told Aerogram.
When she was 12 years old, her family immigrated to the U.S., where they lived below the poverty line. At 16, she committed to a career in aviation, but didn’t receive the support from friends and family that she had hoped for, according to Ninety-Nines.
Two years later, she enrolled herself in private flight training and began working as a math tutor at Purdue University, where she received a scholarship to complete a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a master’s in aerospace engineering. She went on to work for Boeing, Gulfstream and Bombardier as an aerospace engineer before returning to school to complete her Ph.D. at the Georgia Institute of Technology, according to Ninety-Nines.
She eventually earned her Airline Transport Pilot and Flight Instructor certificates, working also as a corporate pilot. In 2019, she founded the AWAA nonprofit.
One of the AWAA’s main goals is to increase the visibility of female Asian pilots and aerospace engineers, as well as Asian women in other STEM careers. It also aims to make the path to a career in aviation easier for young people interested in the field, according to the organization.
“As an Asian woman, I faced many obstacles and challenges to get to where I am today, especially adapting to a new culture, language, and life in the United States. I wanted to give back and inspire the next generation,” Nguyen told Aerogram.
Another goal of the AWAA is to demonstrate opportunities and empowerment through a solo global flight by Nguyen, according to the organization.
In a post on AWAA’s website, the nonprofit’s staffers said they are heartbroken by the “sudden loss” of Nguyen, their “dear friend, founder, mentor and leader.”
“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,” the post says.
Nguyen continued her work to inspire Asian female pilots, aerospace engineers and STEM professionals all the way up to her untimely death on Wednesday. In the last Reel she posted before her death, just 15 minutes before the crash occurred, she talked about her mission to inspire Asian women who want to work in aviation and science.
“I’m super excited today, I just completed the first leg of my solo flight across the world a couple of days ago from Oshkosh to Indiana,” Nguyen said. “This is more than just a flight, OK? It is a mission to inspire the next generation of Asian female pilots, aerospace engineers and STEM professionals. So, today I’m going to fly from Indiana to Pennsylvania.”
She also thanked her sponsor and shared the information on her GoFundMe page, which had more than $4,600 in donations to support her around-the-world flight as of Wednesday afternoon.
“On this second leg of my journey, I want to thank Sirius XM for supporting this dream. Your belief in this mission fuels every single mile that I fly. And to everyone else watching, I need your help to keep me going. Please support my next leg by donating to my GoFundMe page. Every bit helps me get closer to making history and lifting up the next generation of aviators.”
After adjusting her tie and the epaulets on her uniform, she gave these parting words before ending the Reel.
“Let’s keep flying forward together. … Thank you,” Nguyen said.
After news of Nguyen’s death spread on Wednesday, dozens went to the comment section of her last videos posted on Facebook and Instagram to express their shock and sadness about the death.
One commenter said on Instagram her heart was aching at the news as they saw Nguyen in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, last week. They spent a lot of time together at an Asian women in aviation booth, and Nguyen was one of the “inspiring women” who kept the woman flying when she got her private pilot’s license.
“RIP my dear friend,” she said.
A commenter on Facebook thanked Nguyen for being a teacher, inspiration, mentor and friend.
“Fly high always,” the woman said, adding a heart emoji at the end.
Another commenter on Instagram said Nguyen would forever be a hero, saying she saved lives by making a “small last-minute decision” to direct the plane toward the grassy area between the Circle K and the drainage pond during the crash. Greenwood fire officials previously said the crash would’ve been a lot worse if the plane had hit the gas station.
The AWAA encourages those wishing to honor Nguyen’s legacy to donate to the nonprofit in her name. The funds will be used to continue “her dream of helping young girls pursue their dreams and a scholarship in her name,” according to the organization.
Well wishes and thoughts can be left on her Instagram, @pilot_anh_thu, and Facebook, @anu.nguyen, the organization said in the post.
“We hold her family, friends, and community dearly in our hearts at this time. May she fly high in the blue skies,” the post concluded.
