Doctor Who Died in Wildwood Plane Crash Worked at SSM-Wentzville, SSM West

By Frank Johnson

Dr. Shiv Patil, 41, and his 7-year-old daughter, Sonia, both of Chesterfield, died Saturday morning when their small plane went down in the Howell Island Conservation area in Wildwood shortly after leaving Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Chesterfield.

Patil was a doctor specializing in internal medicine with affiliations at SSM St. Joseph Health Center-Wentzville and SSM St. Joseph Hospital West in Lake Saint Louis.

The exact cause of the crash is unknown and will likely remain so until officials with the National Traffic Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration finish their investigations. However, the pain the accident has caused to their friends and family is all too stark.

Speaking to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Patil's friends and family described him as a devoted doctor and father. He is survived by a wife, Puja, 36, and a 9-year-old daughter.

His cousin, Dr. Virender S. Saini, said he had never “met a better person than him,” explaining that he kept his door always open for “anybody, everybody.”

Patil was an experienced pilot and passionate about flying, Saini said, adding that he enjoyed adventurous activities, such as skydiving. 

A co-worker, Jan Wolfe Calcaterra, wrote “he was a kind physician and always treated everyone with respect.”