A HIGHLY EXPERIENCED SMA PLT LANDED SAFELY AFTER DECLARING AN EMER WITH AN APPARENT ENG FIRE.

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ACFT; AN SMA; #3 CYLINDER EXHAUST GASKET BLEW; APPARENTLY SET SOME OIL ON FIRE FROM A LEAKING VALVE COVER. CONTACTED ATC ON WHAT I THOUGHT TO BE 121.5 AND TOLD THEM THAT I HAD A FIRE AND WAS GOING DOWN. ATC SAID TO SQUAWK 7700 AND ASKED WHERE I WAS. I TOLD THEM THAT I WAS E OF COLUMBUS; S OF A 4-LANE HWY. ATC SAID SOMETHING LIKE AUBURN-OPELIKA ARPT WAS EITHER L OR W OF ME AND I TURNED L AND SAW AN ARPT JUST S OF THE HWY WELL WITHIN RANGE THAT I COULD MAKE. AT THIS TIME; I INFORMED ATC THAT I HAD THE ARPT MADE AND WAS RETURNING MY XPONDER TO 1200; THANKED THEM FOR THEIR HELP AND LANDED. I FIXED THE BAD EXHAUST GASKET AND WAS ON MY WAY HOME IN ABOUT 20 MINS. MY PROB IS THAT THE FAA HAS A PROB WITH THE FACT THAT I WAS ABLE TO FIX THE PLANE AND STILL BEAT MY ETA HOME. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTING PLT IS AN 'IA' MECH AS WELL AS HAVING FLOWN CROP DUSTERS FOR 15 YRS AND HAS A LITTLE BIT OF EXPERIENCE IN THE SYS. WHEN HE SMELLED THE SMOKE; HE TURNED OFF THE FUEL AND DOVE THE ACFT TO BLOW OUT THE FIRE. HIS EMER CALL WAS ANSWERED BY BHM GND CTL WHO THOUGHT THAT HE WAS OVER COLUMBUS; GA; WHEN IN FACT HE WAS OVER COLUMBUS; MS. BHM GND CTL DIRECTED HIM TO AN ARPT THAT JUST COINCIDENTALLY HAPPENED TO BE UNDER THE RPTR'S WING; BUT NOT THE ONE THAT BHM GND CTL WAS THINKING ABOUT. THE RPTR BOUGHT A GASKET; BORROWED SOME TOOLS; AND FIXED THE LEAKING EXHAUST AND WAS ON HIS WAY WITHOUT REALLY FINDING OUT WHERE HE HAD LANDED. BHM GND CTL APPARENTLY DID NOT HEAR THE RPTR'S XMISSION THAT HE HAD AN ARPT IN SIGHT AND WAS LNDG. HE HAD ACTUALLY LANDED AT COLUMBUS-LOWNDES (UBS); MS; AND BHM GND CTL THOUGHT THAT HE HAD LANDED AT COLUMBUS (CSG); GA. THE FAA AND THE NTSB HAVE BOTH TALKED TO THE RPTR AND THE RPTR BELIEVES THAT THERE MAY BE SOME CTLRS WHO HAVE GOTTEN INTO TROUBLE FOR GIVING THE WRONG VECTORS. THE RPTR FEELS THAT THE BHM GADO IS OUT TO GIVE HIM A VIOLATION TO COVER UP FOR BHM GND CTL. HE PROMISES NEVER AGAIN TO DECLARE AN EMER.