Pilot killed during small plane crash in Greenwood

GREENWOOD, Ind. — A woman was pronounced dead after a small plane crashed near I-65 and Main Street in Greenwood on Wednesday.

Just before 11 a.m. Wednesday, the small plane began making a series of strange aerial maneuvers before it slammed into a grassy ditch, killing the pilot who was the only person onboard.

Multiple witnesses saw the plane lose control before nose-diving into the ground just a few feet behind a gas station.

“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,” said witness Amanda Landwerlen.

“She was banking hard left to go north, and all ofa sudden, the nose dove and she went into a spin and just went straight down,” said witness Frank Williams.

Williams said he called 911 and ran towards the downed plane, but there was nothing anyone could do to save the pilot’s life.

Officials with the Greenwood Fire Department said the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate what may have caused the plane to go down in a busy area, located a mile southeast of the Indy South Greenwood Airport.

“This could have been a lot worse if they went into the gas station, but there’s no indication of how the crash occurred,” said Tyler Swardson with the Greenwood Fire Department.

Multiple sources confirm the pilot had embarked on a trip around the world and flew into Greenwood from Wisconsin.

It’s not clear exactly where the plane was headed at the time of the crash.

Witnesses say the crash is a reminder that life’s plans can change in a split second.

“Life is frail. You never know when things are going to happen,” said Williams.

“Oh, it’s a terrible terrible tragedy. I’ve never seen anyone pass. My heart breaks for their family.  I hope they find some peace that the person did try not to hit other buildings,” said Landwerlen.

The name of the person killed has not been released by the Johnson County Coroner’s Office.