A Critz man was seriously injured in the crash landing of a single-engine airplane at the Moorefield airstrip around 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 7, according to reports from emergency personnel. Hassell Handy, the pilot, was attempting to land the plane at the airstrip when a gust of wind blew it off course and into some trees, before coming to rest on its top in the yard of a nearby residence. No one on the ground was injured. Handy sustained several fractures, including a broken leg, broken sternum, broken ribs and a head laceration, among other injuries, according to Edward Hartman, a first responder with the Moorefield Store Volunteer Fire Department. Hartman was the first person on the scene and called for the emergency helicopter. Handy was airlifted to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C., where he was listed in stable condition the next day. Steve Allen, Patrick emergency management coordinator, said responders included the Moorefield Store Volunteer Fire Department, the Patrick Springs VFD, the Stuart VFD, the J.E.B. Stuart Rescue Squad, the Patrick County Sheriff’s Office, the Virginia State Police, and Allen. State Trooper R.E. Dillon estimated the damage to the plane at $20,000. He said the wreckage of the plane was released to its co-owner, Charles Beasley of Spencer. The National Safety Transportation Agency and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the crash.
