Anh-Thu Nguyen, founder of Asian Women in Aerospace & Aviation and the first Vietnamese woman to complete a solo flight around the world, died in a plane crash Wednesday in Greenwood, Indiana, according to authorities.

Nguyen was on the second leg of her global journey, flying from Indy South Greenwood Airport (KHFY) to Pennsylvania, when the accident occurred. She had departed from Oshkosh, Wisconsin three days prior to the accident. FlightAware.com tracking data shows the aircraft went down just minutes after takeoff. According to the Indianapolis Star, her 2005 Lancair IV-P spiraled from the sky and crashed behind a gas station on Greenwood’s Main Street. She was the sole occupant and was pronounced dead at the scene.

A respected and accomplished pilot, Nguyen was named Certified Flig

See Full Page