N93111

On March 30, 1999, at 0300 eastern standard time, a Cessna 210, N93111, collided with the ground and several approach lights at the Miami Opa Locka Airport in Opa Locka, Florida. The air taxi flight operated as Flight Express 407 under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with an instrument flight plan and clearance. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The commercial pilot was not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The positioning flight departed Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at 0245.

The pilot reported that, as he established an approach and landing profile for runway 12 at Opa Locka, and when the throttle was reduced to idle, the engine lost power. Efforts by the pilot to restore full power failed. When the pilot retracted the wing flaps, the airplane developed a sink rate. The pilot continued the final approach and the airplane collided with the ground 300 feet short of the runway surface.

During the post-accident wreckage examination, several gallons of fuel were recovered from the fuel system. Examination of the airplane failed to disclose a mechanical problem. The engine assembly was subsequently started and operated on the airframe. The engine operated through the entire power range. No mechanical problems were noted with the engine during the operational check.