This investigation aims to develop a closed-form analytical model to understand and predict runway stone lofting processes by considering the rigid-body interaction of a tire partially rolling over a stone. Any leading-edge aircraft structures impinging into the path of such stones could experience impacts at speeds up to the aircraft takeoff velocity, despite being some distance from the sides of the wheels. The results of the analytical model provide upperbound envelopes of the vertical loft speeds obtained in previous numerical simulations and modified drop-weight experiments. Parametric studies conclude that the vertical loft speeds rise with increasing stone-tire overlap, stone size, and aircraft speed and with deceasing tire diameter. The outcomes of this model form a basis for vehicle designers to assess the runway stone impact threat by better understanding the physics of lofting. © 2010 by S. N. Nguyen, E. S. Greenhalgh, and R. Olsson. Published by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc.