Wayne man, Chris Miller, dies in wreck
By Jack Stephens
Published in News on February 7, 2005 1:55 PM
MOUNT OLIVE -- A 31-year-old airline pilot was killed before dawn Sunday in a single-car wreck on Country Club Road near Mount Olive, according to Highway Patrol reports.
The victim, identified as John Christopher "Chris" Miller of 470 Baker's Chapel Church Road, Mount Olive, was ejected from his eastbound car. The investigating state trooper, David Finch, said Miller was not wearing a seat belt.
Finch said speeding and reckless driving contributed to the fatality that occurred at 12:52 a.m., about a quarter-mile west of Ramblewood Drive. Based on evidence at the scene, Finch estimated the driver's speed at about 70 mph. The posted speed limit on the two-lane road is 45 mph.
The trooper said Miller's 2003 Ford ran off the left side in a right curve, then came back on the road in the left lane, went sideways, struck the left ditch, went airborne, struck the ground 69 feet from the initial impact, went airborne again, struck the ground 51 feet further, went airborne a third time and overturned on its roof.
Miller's car, valued at $12,000, was demolished.
The fatality was the second in 2005 on Wayne County roads.
Miller was a licensed flight instructor and was employed with Corporate Airlines as a pilot. He also worked with his father at Johnny Miller Electric Service in Mount Olive.
Miller's funeral will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday in the chapel of Tyndall Funeral Home.