St. Louis man identified as pilot killed in KC-bound plane crash after takeoff
The pilot killed when a plane crashed shortly after takeoff Tuesday from a St. Louis-area airport was identified as a 65-year-old St. Louis man, authorities said. The flight was headed to the Kansas City area.
Edward Ruhbeck, 65, of St. Louis died early Tuesday when the Aero Commander 500-B twin-engine piston aircraft he was flying crashed short of the runway at the Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Chesterfield, Missouri, the St. Louis County Police Department said in a news release.
Flight data showed that the plane, which was headed to New Century AirCenter in Olathe, turned back just moments after taking off around 12:30 a.m. from the airport, according to FlightAware, a flight-tracking website.
The St. Louis County Police Department said its Spirit of St. Louis Airport Detail was notified shortly after 3 a.m. about a possible downed plane in the area. The airport’s tower is generally manned between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m., but landings and takeoffs are permitted overnight.
Officers searched and found the crash at the east end of the south airport runway, according to a news release from the police department. Ruhbeck, the only one on board at the time of the crash, died at the scene. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.
Central Airlines Inc. owns the plane, according to the FAA’s aircraft registration database.
In an email on Wednesday morning, company president Andrew Towner told The Star he did not have information about the cause of the crash.
“Our company is fully cooperating with the FAA and NTSB to help determine the accident’s cause,” he said. “Lastly, we are keeping our lost team member’s family in our thoughts and prayers, and we will continue to support them during this very difficult time for them and our small company.”
The company’s website indicates it handles cargo transportation, including for organ transplants and “hazardous or sensitive materials.”
The group has a headquarters at the Kansas City Downtown Airport-Wheeler Field and also flies out of Mosby and St. Louis in Missouri, as well as airports in Cushing, Oklahoma; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Jackson, Mississippi; and Bessemer, Alabama, the website said.
“Central Air Southwest currently operates 30 Twin Commander 500 B/Us and 1 Learjet 35A servicing 30 plus daily departures throughout the Central, Northern, and Southern United States,” the group’s website says.
