
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 23, 1994                   TAG: 9411230137
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: RICHARD FOSTER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

WATER FOUND IN FUEL PUMP OF PLANE THAT CRASHED

Investigators found water in the fuel pump of the single-engine plane that crashed in Goode last week, critically injuring its pilot, according to a preliminary report released Tuesday by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The report also said that Federal Aviation Administration investigators found rust flakes, sediment and water in the plane's carburetor. It is not clear whether these factors contributed to the crash. A complete report will be released in February.

Anne Miller, 44, of Goode, suffered multiple cuts and fractures when the two-seat, orange-and-white Aircoupe A-2 lost engine power and crashed into a wooded hillside near the Big Otter River. She was still hospitalized Tuesday, listed in satisfactory condition in the orthopedic unit at Lynchburg General Hospital.

The accident happened shortly after 1:15 p.m. Nov. 13, when Miller took off for a pleasure ride from a private airstrip near Virginia 706. She was the only person in the plane. It took rescue workers more than a hour to pull her from the wreckage.

Her father, David Miller, owns the plane. He told FAA investigators that he had been having trouble with water in the fuel tank in recent months and had built a hangar to keep the plane dry.

by CNB