The St. Louis County Police Department identified Edward Ruhbeck, 65, of St. Louis as the pilot killed in a plane crash in Chesterfield early on Tuesday.
The county police were notified of a downed plane near Spirit of St. Louis Airport around 3 a.m., according to a department spokesperson. The county's airport officers then began a search and located a crash site at the east end of the airport's south runway.
The adult male pilot was pronounced dead on the scene. An early investigation shows the pilot departed overnight and was returning to the airport when the plane went down, officials said. There's no indication anyone else was on board.
The Metro Air Support Unit's Spirit of St. Louis Airport detail remained on the scene Tuesday morning during what it called an active investigation.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board were notified, according to the county police spokesperson, and will be investigating.
This story has been updated with the pilot's identity.
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