South Florida pilot dies in plane crash while trying to fly around the world

Ahn-Thu Nguyen had set out to make history. The South Florida pilot embarked on her journey to become the 10th woman to fly solo around the world.

The 44-year-old Nguyen, who was known as a groundbreaking aviator, educator and fierce advocate for women in aerospace, died on Wednesday in a plane crash near Greenwood, Indiana, during an early leg of her global solo flight.

The crash occurred shortly after takeoff from Indy South Greenwood Airport around 10:45 a.m, according to the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the crash. The agency identified the plane as a Lancair IVP.

The NTSB investigation is ongoing and will examine the aircraft, pilot qualifications, maintenance records, weather conditions, and additional data, including air traffic control communications and surveillance footage.

Nguyen, a Pembroke Pines pilot who chronicled her flight journeys on her social media page, made her last post the day her plane crashed.

In a video posted to her Instagram, with over 166,000 followers, Nguyen is seen sitting in a small aircraft and excitedly tells the camera that she has just completed the first leg of her solo flight around the world.

In the video, she says that she is getting ready to fly from Indiana to Pennsylvania.

A resident of South Florida Nguyen was founder of Asian Women in Aerospace and Aviation, a nonprofit based in Miami and Pembroke Pines that empowers Asian women and girls through scholarships, mentorship and flight training.

She also operated Dragon Flight Training Academy at North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines, where she mentored the next generation of pilots.

“This isn’t just a flight — it’s a movement,” a GoFundMe page to help Nguyen in her journey reads. Her proposed route covered 26,800 nautical miles across 25 countries, promoting aerospace education for girls worldwide, according to the fundraiser.

“Anh-Thu was an inspiring pilot, instructor, and advocate for girls and women in aerospace, engineering, and aviation,” AWAA said in a statement. “She lived with boldness, curiosity, and drive.”

Born in a remote village in Tuy-Hoa, Vietnam, she attended a UNICEF-built school and grew up without electricity or running water, according to her bio. She arrived in the U.S. at 12 as a refugee, not speaking English, and her family relied on welfare and food stamps. Nguyen went on to graduate as valedictorian of her high school, earn an engineering degree from Purdue University, and went on to pursue a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering at Georgia Tech.

As a student, she worked for $6 an hour as a math tutor, took out student loans, and often lived out of her car while completing flight training, her bio reads. She eventually became a Boeing 767 pilot for a major airline and earned recognition as an AOPA Distinguished Flight Instructor.

Even with her achievements, Nguyen often faced skepticism. In her bio she recounted repeated instances of being stopped at airport gates and having to prove she was, in fact, a pilot.

In 2018, she founded AWAA with a mission to break barriers and provide opportunities for underrepresented girls in STEM. Through the organization, she helped create scholarships and provided discounted flight training for aspiring female pilots.

Her nonprofit, headquartered at 7201 S Airport Rd. in Pembroke Pines, says it will continue her legacy.

Donations can be made in her honor to Asian Women in Aerospace and Aviation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, to fund scholarships and mentorship programs.

“We will use the funds to continue her dream of helping young girls pursue their dreams,” the nonprofit said.

In her last post to the internet Nguyen told her audience “Let’s keep flying forward together.”

This story was originally published July 31, 2025 at 4:12 PM.