SMA HAS PWR LOSS; MAKES EMER LNDG AT PVT GLIDER STRIP.

Narrative

I WAS ON A VFR FLT FROM PERRIS; CA; TO LANCASTER (FOX FIELD); CA. JUST THROUGH THE CAJON PASS AREA; I CONTACTED JOSHUA APCH AND REQUESTED VFR ADVISORIES. AT THE TIME; I WAS FLYING A RENTED SMA AT APPROX 6500 FT MSL. APPROX 10 MINS AFTER CONTACTING APCH; I EXPERIENCED AN ENG FAILURE. IT IS MORE ACCURATE TO SAY THAT I SUFFERED A COMPLETE LOSS OF PWR; ALTHOUGH THE ENG WAS STILL FIRING. AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE; I WAS APPROX 7 NM N OF CRYSTAL AIR ARPT (A PRIVATE GLIDER ARPT); AND ONLY APPROX 20 NM FROM MY DEST ARPT (FOX FIELD - WJF). AT THE TIME; I WAS IN A CRUISE CONFIGN (22 INCHES OF PRESSURE; 2200 RPM); WITH A SLOW DSCNT FOR LNDG AT MY DEST. WITHOUT WARNING; THE ENG RPM DROPPED TO A LITTLE OVER 1200 RPM. AT THAT MOMENT; I TURNED TOWARD CRYSTAL AIR ARPT; KNOWING I WOULD HAVE TO LAND. AT THE SAME TIME; I ATTEMPTED TO REGAIN PWR TO THE ENG; BY CYCLING THE CARB HEAT; AND SWITCHING FUEL TANKS; WITH NO LUCK. I ALSO ADVISED JOSHUA APCH OF MY CONDITION. THEY ASKED IF I WISHED TO DECLARE AN EMER. I DECLINED; SINCE I ALREADY KNEW I WAS WITHIN GLIDING DISTANCE TO THE ARPT. THE CTLR DID PROVIDE VECTORS TO THE ARPT; WHICH I ALREADY HAD IN SIGHT. I ASKED THE CTLR FOR THE FREQ OF THE UNICOM AT THIS ARPT. THE CTLR TOLD ME THAT SINCE IT WAS A PRIVATE ARPT; HE DID NOT HAVE THAT INFO. I THEN ASKED IF HE COULD TELEPHONE THEM; TO ADVISE THE ARPT THAT I WOULD BE LNDG. AGAIN; THE CTLR INDICATED THAT THEY HAD NO INFO ON THIS ARPT. BY THIS TIME; I WAS APPROX 1500 FT AGL; AND REALLY DID NOT HAVE THE TIME TO TRY TO LOOK THROUGH MY BOOKS TO FIND THE FREQ. I FINALLY GOT THE CORRECT FREQ FROM ANOTHER PLT WHO HAD MONITORED OUR CONVERSATION; AND WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE ARPT. A SUCCESSFUL LNDG WAS MADE AT THIS PRIVATE ARPT (ON SHORT FINAL; I NOTICED THE UNICOM FREQ PAINTED ON THE RWY). ONCE ON THE GND; THE ENG DID NOT EVEN PRODUCE ENOUGH THRUST TO TAXI THE ACFT. LATER THAT DAY; I HEARD FROM THE FBO/OWNER OF THIS PLANE; THAT THE PROP GOVERNOR HAD FAILED. HE INDICATED THAT IT HAD BEEN 'REBUILT' LESS THAN 200 HRS BEFORE. UPON REFLECTION; I CONSIDER MYSELF LUCKY THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED WHERE IT DID. 15 MINS PRIOR TO THIS; I WAS ONLY 1000 FT AGL IN A MOUNTAIN PASS; WITH FEW LNDG OPTIONS. PRIOR TO THAT; I WAS OVER A LARGE METROPOLITAN AREA (ONTARIO). DURING THE FLT EARLIER THAT MORNING; I WAS FLYING VFR OVER THE LOW MORNING OVCST IN THE ONTARIO AREA. 1) I BELIEVE IT IS POPULAR BELIEF; AND OFTEN TAUGHT TO STUDENTS; THAT WHEN A PROP GOVERNOR FAILS; THE PROP WILL BE RETURNED TO LOW PITCH; SO THE ACFT CAN STILL BE FLOWN. IN THIS CASE; THE FAILURE OF THE PROP GOVERNOR CAUSED THE PROP TO GO INTO HIGH PITCH. AT FULL THROTTLE INFLT; THE ENG WOULD ONLY PRODUCE ABOUT 1200 RPM; WHICH WAS NOT ENOUGH TO SUSTAIN FLT (OR SHOULD I SAY; I DIDN'T WANT TO FIND OUT). INFLT; THE WINDMILLING PROP DIDN'T PRODUCE ANY DRAG; BUT ALSO ADDED NO THRUST. BECAUSE OF THE HIGH PITCH; THE ENG 'APPEARED' TO RUN ROUGH; MAKING MY DIAGNOSIS OF THE PROB MORE DIFFICULT. 2) ALTHOUGH THE CTLR DID A FINE JOB OF HANDLING MY INCIDENT (THE POLICE HAD BEEN NOTIFIED; APPARENTLY BY THE CTLR); THE ONE THING I FOUND DEPRESSING IS THAT APPARENTLY; CTLRS DON'T ALWAYS HAVE INFO ON LCL ARPTS IF THEY ARE PRIVATELY OWNED. CRYSTAL AIR ARPT IS A VERY ACTIVE GLIDER ARPT; AND IS THE ONLY ARPT WITHIN A 20 MI RADIUS OF THIS DESERT AREA. IT ALSO LIES NEAR A POPULAR VICTOR AIRWAY. I UNDERSTAND THAT CTLRS CAN'T POSSIBLY HAVE INFO ON EVERY 'PRIVATE DIRT STRIP' OFTEN FOUND IN THE DESERT; BUT THIS ARPT WAS A BUSY GLIDER ARPT; WITH A SINGLE PAVED RWY (LENGTH UNKNOWN; BUT PROBABLY 1500-2000 FT LONG). I BELIEVE THAT IN THE INTEREST OF SAFETY; IT WOULD BE IN THE INTEREST OF THE CTLING AGENCY OF THE LCL AREA TO AT LEAST HAVE FREQ; ELEVATION; AND TELEPHONE NUMBERS TO EVERY PRIVATE ARPT THAT COULD BE USED FOR EMER LNDGS. ON THE GND; THE PEOPLE AT THIS ARPT TOLD ME THAT IN THE PAST THEY HAVE SEEN 'AT LEAST A HALF DOZEN' OTHER ACFT MAKE EMER LNDGS THERE. AS I WRITE THIS; I DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO AN ARPT FACILITY DIRECTORY; BUT I WONDER IF THIS ARPT EVEN APPEARS IN IT.