N1817F

On June 13, 1997, about 1842 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 210F, N1817F, registered to a private owner, operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, crashed at the Waycross-Ware County Airport, Waycross, Georgia. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an IFR flight plan was filed. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The private pilot and three passengers reported minor injuries. The flight departed from Lawrenceville, Georgia, about 1 hour 28 minutes before the accident.

The pilot stated he had leveled off at 6,000 feet in IMC conditions when the manifold pressure dropped to 15 inches. He informed ATC that he was losing power, could not maintain altitude, and requested a vector to the nearest airport. He was provided vectors to Waycross, encountered VFR conditions at 3,500 feet, and had visual contact with the airport. He contacted UNICOM and was informed that runway 18 was the active runway in use, but elected to land straight in to runway 23. He completed the before landing check, and lowered the flaps to 20 degrees. The final approach was fast, estimated at about 90 to 100 knots. He attempted to reduce power with negative results. The airplane touched down fast, and became airborne with insufficient power to climb, and no attempt was made to shut the engine down by turning off the mixture. He made a steep left, followed by a steep right turn, hoping to keep the aircraft on the airport. The left wing dropped down, the nose pitched down, the airplane stalled, and the airplane collided with the ground in a left wing low, nose down attitude, separating the nose gear, and left main gear.

Examination of the airplane by the FAA revealed the throttle cable had disconnected from the engine.