Federal investigators want to know why a small plane crashed just feet from a highway in Maryland Heights, just moments before the start of the Thursday morning rush. “We received a phone call from a motorist saying that they had seen a plane go down right here alongside the highway,” explained Pattonville Fire Battalion Chief Dave Dotson. He said the small plane burned at 4:55 a.m. Thursday. “A few minutes after that, we received a phone call from the pilot himself.” Firefighters from Pattonville, Monarch, Central County and Maryland Heights fire districts rushed to the Page Avenue Extension east of the Discovery Bridge.