A 65-year-old Spanish Lake man died in a fiery cargo plane crash at Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Chesterfield. Investigators identified the pilot as Edward Ruhbeck, a former air traffic controller who crashed while attempting to return to the runway shortly after takeoff.

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the overnight crash. Flight tracking data indicates the aircraft may have attempted to turn back almost immediately after departing the airport before crashing just short of the runway.

Ruhbeck was a familiar face in his community for decades. James Pfaffenback, a neighbor who knew Ruhbeck since the 1980s, described him as a helpful and kind person.

“He was a Quiet guy. he was kind of you a bubbly guy, but kind of quiet,” Pfaffenback said. “He never said nothing about ‘oh this neighbors doing that or did you see this neighbor over here?’ He never said nothing about nobody. He was just a good all-around guy.”

Aviation was a central part of Ruhbeck’s life both professionally and personally. Federal records show he previously worked as an air traffic controller for the Federal Aviation Administration. Pfaffenback said Ruhbeck often spent his free time focused on flying.

“He’s a pilot. He was really into the flying,” Pfaffenback said. “He was always telling me about getting on his computer and watching the weather and seeing was coming next. things like that.”

The aircraft involved in the crash was operated by Central Air Southwest. The company has been linked to four fatal crashes involving the same model of aircraft since 2005. Ruhbeck had recently mentioned changes at the company to neighbors.

“I do know Ed said his past year I guess this company got bought out by this company that owns them I think they’re in Kansas or something he never said too much about about any problems,” Pfaffenback said. “He only seemed like he had everything handled.”

The crash occurred just short of the runway after Ruhbeck attempted to return the small cargo plane to the airport. Pfaffenback said he had a sinking feeling when he first heard news of the incident.

“Well my chest kind of dropped and I was like ‘Oh no!’ I thought about it. I thought all day it might’ve been him but then again I was hoping it wasn’t!” Pfaffenback said.

Ruhbeck leaves behind children.

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation at Spirit of St. Louis Airport. Pfaffenback offered support to the pilot’s family as the community mourns the loss.

“I would like to offer my condolences and all prayers to him. It’s a very sad thing if we can help with anything, just give us a holler,” Pfaffenback said.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KTVI. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat information into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KTVI staff before being published.

source: https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/neighbors-remember-quiet-kind-pilot-lost-in-chesterfield-crash/