At about 7 nm out and 3,000 feet the propeller RPM began climbing sharply well beyond 2,600 RPM. I tried to change the prop and throttle settings to get the prop RPMs back under control and I had no success getting the RPMs out of the red. This continued for a short time (well under a minute) and I distinctly remember a bang, and then smoke began to fill the cabin. I opened the small window to my left in an attempt to clear the smoke and I continued to fly the plane.
Aircraft
Deviation from normal operations results in engine losing power
“It is striking to me that there were three separate events deviating from my normal habits of operation: Inspect fuel immediately after fueling, do not re-start a pre-flight in the middle, never take off without dipping all four fillers. Had I conformed to my normal habits on any of the three, this would not have happened.”
Distraught controller, busy airspace a bad combination
The Controller began shouting to all of the pilots “I don’t have radar! I see two targets converging to the south!” The Controller sounded very anxious.
NORDO airplane has near miss at Cable Airport
“After rolling out on final, I ended up wingtip to wingtip within a 1/2 mile of Aircraft Y. I must not have been able to see the aircraft due to ground clutter.”
Cessna 210 cuts off another plane on the runway
As I released the brakes to start my roll forward I saw an airplane taxiing at high speed past me on the right and then in front of me onto the runway. There is no way he could have not seen me. He had to taxi forward of my position and around me in a very tight area to avoid striking my wingtip or going off of the narrow 40-foot-wide runway.
Rough engine, flat tire end flight
I will use the lessons from this flight for myself and all future students for the purpose of discussing complete airplane maintenance with airplane owners (especially new airplanes), what to do when engine becomes rough, and procedures to follow with a flat tire.
Gas cap flies off during takeoff
Shortly after takeoff, I noticed that the pilot side fuel cap had departed from the airplane and fuel was coming out of the wing at a tremendous rate. Fearing a severe weight imbalance, I Identified as an emergency and returned to land without further incident or damage.
Cracked cylinder ends flight
A cracked cylinder leads to violent vibrations in a Piper PA-28R.