'Please get me out.' St. Louis men saved pilot from fiery Metro East plane crash

Clayton Poindexter of Affton and Mark Amoroso of St. Louis were headed to the Jefferson Barracks Golf Tee in Columbia, Illinois, when they pulled off into a parking lot of a nearby soccer field complex because they realized Poindexter had forgotten his golf clubs.

That's when they saw an airplane flying erratically.

"We saw the plane kind of wobble off in the distance," Amoroso said.

It then crashed upside down into a farm field and started to burn.

Poindexter and Amoroso said in interviews with the Belleville News-Democrat that they ran through farmland to reach the burning plane. After some struggling, they were able to pull the critically injured pilot out of the burning plane and extinguish the flames burning the bluejeans on the 71-year-old Waterloo man.

"It was pretty surreal," Amoroso said about what happened. "It kind of, in some ways, doesn't feel real."

Columbia Police Chief Jason Donjon said Thursday the pilot's condition was improving while he's being treated at Mercy Hospital St. Louis in Creve Coeur. The man's identity hasn't been released.

An initial news release from local officials about the crash Sunday didn't name Amoroso and Poindexer but described them as Good Samaritans.

Donjon and Monroe County Sheriff Neal Rohlfing later released a joint statement praising the "heroic actions" of the friends as well as the first officer on the scene, Columbia Police Sgt. Zack Hopkins, and Sarah Courtney, the Columbia dispatcher who handled the 9-1-1 call from Amoroso.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the crash. A Monroe County Sheriff's Department news release indicated a preliminary investigation showed the pilot had been performing maintenance on the plane before taking off from Sackman Field off Bluff Road near the crash site.

"Shortly after taking off, smoke reportedly began filling the cockpit, originating from the engine area," the news release stated. "The pilot attempted to return to the airfield but crashed into the field."

Rescuers give eyewitness account

Poindexter, 35, and Amoroso, 33, said they couldn't see flames coming from the single-engine plane when it was in the air.

But they realized something was wrong as they sat in Poindexter's car in the soccer field parking lot near the intersection of DD Road and Bluff Road on the west side of Columbia.

"We saw it come and it was kind of like teetering back and forth," said Poindexter, an electrician..

The 2007 Zenith Zodiac 601 HDS was going down gradually but then went sharply upward and became inverted before crashing in the field on top of the cockpit.

Amoroso and Poindexter watched as the plane hit the ground, perhaps a third or half of a mile from where they stood in the parking lot. Initially, they thought it might have been a large model airplane or remote controlled drone.

"As I was running towards it, you know, and it's getting closer, I was like, 'That is a real plane,'" Poindexter said. "I kind of took off in a dead sprint. That's when I heard (the pilot) yelling for help."

The pilot, the only occupant of the plane, was unable to escape the wreckage.

"He told me, 'Please get me out, please get me out,'" Poindexter said. "That's when I really started kicking into gear, going through my mind how I could get him out?"

The pilot's arms were out of the cockpit and the cockpit window was shattered. But Poindexter said he was unable to pull the man out

"So then I tried kicking out some of the metal paneling of the plane itself but then I realized that wasn't going to work so I was going through all the options in my head.," he said.

He tried to lift up one of the plane's wings, but encountered flames and smoke.

By then, Amoroso had arrived and was able to lift up the tail fin of the plane as Poindexter lifted the wing opposite the side of his first attempt. The maneuver opened an additional 2 feet of space needed for him to be able to pull the pilot free.

Flames spreading

With all of the effort expended to get the pilot free from the wreckage, the rescuers didn't realize how intense the fire had become.

"His legs were basically engulfed in flames," Poindexter said as they moved the pilot away from the burning plane. "I took off my hoodie and I just started like patting his legs as fast as I could trying to put out the flames."

But the hoodie caught on fire.

Poindexter said tried without success rolling the pilot on the ground in douse the flames.

They were finally able to free the man of his burning jeans by pulling them off.

Police officer arrives

Poindexter got away with some superficial cuts and burns, but both he and Amoroso said they were hyped on adrenaline by the time Hopkins arrived. They said they were relieved when the officer took control of the scene.

He gave directions to dispatch and helped settle everyone, Poindexter said.

"He was very calm, cool, collected," he said. "He was kind of coaching everyone. It was really awesome to see."

Amoroso, who works in information technology, called Hopkins "extremely professional."

The crash occurred in unincorporated Monroe County, just outside Columbia's city limits. Hopkins was able to respond within 32 seconds of being dispatched.

"Sergeant Hopkins provided comfort and reassurance to the injured pilot while offering support to the two Good Samaritans until additional help arrived," the statement from the police chief and sheriff said.

Courtney, the police dispatcher who took the 9-1-1 call for the plane crash, was lauded for "efficiently dispatching all first responders."

"Her calm demeanor and professionalism were instrumental in facilitating the lifesaving efforts of everyone involved," the statement said.

The pilot was airlifted from the scene by a helicopter.

"The actions of Clayton, Mark, Sergeant Hopkins and Dispatcher Courtney exemplify true heroism and dedication to serving others," Rohlfing and Donjon said. "Their teamwork and bravery remind us of the strength and compassion that exist within our communities."