A Lake Winola man died after his plane crashed into a lake in Missouri on Wednesday night.
Russell Hazelton, 78, died early Thursday at DePaul Health Center in Bridgeton, Mo., after emergency crews pulled him and his wife, Suzanne, 69, from the cockpit, which was partially submerged in Creve Coeur Lake in Maryland Heights, Mo.
His wife, who was the only passenger, was on life support, Maj. Bill Carson of the Maryland Heights Police Department said. Maryland Heights is a suburb of St. Louis.
Witnesses said they heard the plane's engine sputtering before it went down.
Mr. Hazelton, a retired commercial airline pilot, attempted to land on the lake's shore but ended up hitting the water. The plane flipped on impact.
Mr. Hazelton initially flew out of Pennsylvania, Maj. Carson said, though it was not clear Thursday which airport he used. After stopping for fuel in Ohio, Mr. Hazelton was expected to land at the Creve Coeur Airport.
Mr. Hazelton, who was a pilot for the now defunct Trans World Airlines, crashed just "short of the airport," Maj. Carson said.
"All we know is from witnesses," he said.
Mr. and Mrs. Hazelton were unconscious when emergency crews arrived minutes after the crash. They had to pull the craft closer to the lake's shore, lift it and pry open a door to extricate them, the major said.
Mr. Hazelton, whose address is listed as 264 Point Road in Factoryville, Wyoming County, also had a home in the city of Town and Country, a suburb of St. Louis.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board were investigating.
Officials with both agencies were at the crash scene on Thursday.
NTSB investigators will examine the plane, collect data, and interview witnesses to determine the cause of the crash, agency spokesman Keith Holloway said.
According to FAA records, Mr. Hazelton is the plane's owner. It is a fixed-wing single-engine aircraft, manufactured by Piper Aircraft in 1973.
The crash happened about 8:40 p.m. Wednesday.
Efforts to reach family were unsuccessful on Thursday.
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