A plane crash at Spirit of St. Louis Airport, killing pilot Edward Ruhbeck, is under NTSB investigation. He is commended for his actions before the plane went down

 Federal investigators spent Tuesday afternoon combing through the burned remains of a crashed plane at Spirit of St. Louis Airport.

“He knew he was in distress and he was trying to eliminate not hurting anybody on the ground or anybody’s homes,” witness Diana Krazer told 5 On Your Side.

The NTSB has identified the person killed as the pilot, 65-year-old Edward Ruhbeck.

The airport’s deputy director commends Ruhbeck’s actions navigating the aircraft failure.

“The pilot did everything he could and did an excellent job landing where he landed with no further loss of life or property,” said Dave Schubert, deputy director of Spirit of St. Louis Airport.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board, just after midnight, Ruhbeck was operating an Aero Commander 500B owned by Central Airlines heading to Kansas City.

Investigators say the plane began experiencing trouble within minutes of takeoff, forcing Ruhbeck to attempt an emergency return to the airport.

The aircraft ultimately crashed and caught fire just short of the runway.

“I had a gut feeling because it just didn’t look right,” Krazer said. “It just looked like it was not traveling like a normal plane would travel. The motion was a little up and down.”

Spirit of St. Louis’ largest runway remains closed until the investigation is complete.

For Krazer, the realization of what she witnessed remains heavy.

“It was very unusual seeing a person that you know was alive one minute, and you didn’t know that they were going to the end of their life. It’s shocking.”

The NTSB is leading the investigation. The Monarch Fire District, Chesterfield police and St. Louis County police also assisted on scene.