Two St. Louisans will receive national recognition for their heroic efforts to save the pilot of a burning plane that crashed last year in a Columbia field. 

Clayton E. Poindexter and Mark Amoroso will be awarded the Carnegie Medal for Heroism, which is North America’s highest honor for civilian heroism.

Shortly after noon on Dec. 8, 2024, a 71-year-old Waterloo man crashed his 2007 Zenith Zodiac 601HDS upside down in a field near Sackman Field along DD Road and Bluff Road on the west side of Columbia.

Upon seeing the crash, Poindexter and Amoroso parked their vehicle and ran across a farm field to save the injured pilot, who was trapped in the burning plane.

Amoroso called 911, then the men worked together to free the pilot from his plane and extinguish the flames. 

Emergency responders air-lifted the pilot to a St. Louis area hospital for emergency treatment, and he was able to survive.

The Carnegie Medal for Heroism is given throughout the U.S. and Canada “to those who enter extreme danger while saving or attempting to save the lives of others.” With the announcement of the 17 recipients this month, the award has been given to 10,545 people since its inception in 1904.

Along with the award, each recipient receives a financial grant.