Stoneville man killed in Henry County plane crash

By Staff

Published: November 8, 2008

Sgt. James Phillipi of the Virginia State Police said an RV-6 – a single-engine, two-passenger kit aircraft – crashed about 2:30 p.m. Friday on Airhaven Road, southwest of Blue Ridge Airport.
The pilot, Jerome Tuttle, 71, of 335 Deerwood Lane in Stoneville, was the only person on board. Tuttle was taken to Martinsville Memorial Hospital and pronounced dead on arrival.
The airplane belonged to Emory Chronister of Stoneville, according to Phillipi.
Phillipi said the owner of the private airstrip where the crash occurred, David Spencer, called in the accident. Spencer was the only witness to the incident.
“(Spencer) said the plane was coming in for a landing,” Phillipi said. “He just touched down and started to take off again. When he started back up, the plane just rolled over for some reason and came back down.”
Henry County Fire Marshal Rodney Howell said firefighters, EMS and rescue personnel responded to the scene, but no fire was reported. Crews did contain a minor fuel leak from the damaged airplane.
While Virginia State Police are responsible for initial investigations of airplane crashes, Phillipi said the investigation into the cause of the crash was turned over to the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.