Plane accidentally starts with girl, 6, inside

[December 29, 2008]  PALESTINE, Texas (AP) -- Federal investigators are looking into an accident involving a small plane at an eastern Texas airfield that injured a 6-year-old girl.

Palestine fire officials say the girl was alone in the Cessna 150 when her 81-year-old grandfather, Virgil Fielden of Fairfield, manually started the engine of the two-seat plane Sunday afternoon.

Fire Capt. Kyle Betterton says the plane began rolling unexpectedly and crashed into nearby woods. He says it never left the grounds of Palestine Municipal Airport.

Betterton says the girl wasn't seriously injured but was airlifted to Children's Medical Center in Dallas as a precaution. Fielden was treated for minor injuries at a Palestine hospital.

Palestine is about 100 miles southeast of Dallas.

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Information from:

KLTV-TV, http://www.kltv.com/

KETK-TV, http://www.ketknbc.com/

[Associated Press]

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