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…