News Nearby: Two in Critical Condition After Plane Crashes Into Creve Coeur Lake

Two are in critical condition at DePaul Hospital after a single-engine commuter airplane crashed into Creve Coeur Lake Wednesday evening.

Maryland Heights Police Deputy Chief Bill Carson said police responded to a plane crash at about 8:40 p.m. Carson said a witness told police they saw the plane go down and heard what sounded like an engine sputtering. 

The witness told police the plane attempted to land on the east bank of the lake but wound up upside down in Creve Coeur Lake, less than a mile from Creve Coeur Airport.

The plane, according to FlightAware, was traveling to Creve Coeur from Delaware, OH, and took off from Jim Moore Field Airport. Delaware, OH, is roughly 30 miles north of Columbus, OH.

The plane is listed as a Piper PA-28 Cherokee, a four-seat single-engine aircraft, and is registered to Russell Hazelton of Factoryville, PA. 

Police have not released the name or gender of either of the passengers.

Carson said Maryland Heights police officers were waste-deep in water while holding the wing of the aircraft afloat so it wouldn't sink into deeper waters while emergency crews arrived.

Lake Saint Louis diving teams searched the lake for roughly 30 minutes for remaining survivors, but Carson said the aircraft's flight plan indicated the two taken to the hospital were the only people onboard. 

According to Fox 2 News, St. Louis County police are at the scene and have set up a staging area for emergency crews at Maryland Heights Expressway at Marine Avenue.

The Federal Aviation Administration is expected in town at some point tomorrow to assist in the investigation.

Patch will have more details as they develop. 

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