Sep 20, 2022, News Release
Virginia State Police responded to a fatal plane crash that occurred Sept. 14, 2022 in Albemarle County.
Shortly before 11:30 p.m., Albemarle County received a distress call from a pilot. Despite efforts to direct the pilot to land at the Charlottesville Albemarle Airport, the private, single-engine aircraft was unable to make it and crashed into a wooded area near Plank Rd. and Stillhouse Creek Rd. The impact of the crash caused the Piper fixed-wing aircraft to catch fire. State Police Aviation assisted ground crews with locating the wreckage.
On Monday, Sept. 19, 2022, the Office of the Medical Examiner notified state police that it had positively confirmed the pilot’s identity. The pilot, Kevin J. Esh, 30, of New Holland, Penn., was the plane’s only occupant.
The aircraft had taken off from Blue Ridge Regional Airport in Martinsville, Va. and was headed to Pennsylvania.
State police notified the NTSB and FAA. The NTSB is now the primary agency investigating the crash.
