PROP MALFUNCTION MADE ENG RUN ROUGH; DECLARED AN EMER AND MADE PRECAUTIONARY LNDG ON DRY LAKE.

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CRUISING TO AIRSHOW; SEVERE VIBRATION OCCURRED. CUT PWR; GLIDED TO DRY LAKE; UNEVENTFUL LNDG. NO DAMAGE TO ACFT OR PLT. SUBSEQUENT INSPECTION REVEALED INTERNAL PROP FAILURE. CALLED MAYDAY ON 121.5. GOT IMMEDIATE RESPONSE FROM SOMEONE OFFICIAL. CAN'T RECALL WHO FOR SURE; BUT THINK IT WAS LAS VEGAS APCH. SEARCH AND RESCUE ARRIVED ABOUT 1 1/2 HRS LATER -- PRETTY GOOD I THOUGHT. I HAD WATER WITH ME; AND IT IS A GOOD THING. EVEN 1 1/2 HRS WITHOUT WATER; ESPECIALLY HAD I BEEN HURT; WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY UNCOMFORTABLE -- TEMP WAS ALREADY 100 DEG FAHRENHEIT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: CALLBACK WAS MADE TO DETERMINE WHAT AREA THE FORCED LNDG WAS MADE -- NEAR THE CALIFORNIA BORDER S OF LAS VEGAS NEAR HWY 15. DURING THE CONVERSATION I LEARNED HE WAS FLYING A ZLIN TO AN AIRSHOW AT SALT LAKE CITY. THE PROP WAS A CONTROLLABLE PITCH AND THE SPIDER WAS DEFECTIVE. HE LEARNED FROM THE EXPERIENCE THAT DISTANCES ON THE DESERT ARE DECEPTIVELY FARTHER THAN THEY APPEAR. WHAT LOOKED LIKE LESS THAN A MI WAS ABOUT 6 MI.