PLT OF AN SMA SEL REFUSED TWR'S REQUEST TO GAR DUE TO A MISFIRING INTERMITTENT ENG PROB; RESULTING IN NO MAJOR CONFLICT WITH ANOTHER ACFT TAKING OFF.

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I WAS TERMINATING A LONG FLT TO FCM; EDEN PRAIRIE; MN. THE TWR HAD JUST OPENED AT XX:00 AM AND I WAS THE FIRST LNDG TFC. ABOUT 20 MI OUT I HEARD THE TWR OPERATOR COME ON AND SAY THAT THEY WERE OPEN. I RPTED 12 MI OUT WITH THEIR ATIS INFO AND UNDERSTOOD THE TWR TO TELL ME TO RPT 2 MI OUT FOR A L BASE TO RWY 27L. THE CONDITIONS WERE EXTREME IN SOME WAYS. TEMP WAS ABOUT MINUS 20 DEGS AND THE ARPT; INCLUDING RWY; HAD CLR ICE AND SOME SNOW. AS I WAS ABOUT TO RPT ON BASE; THE TWR OPERATOR SAW ME AND CLRED ME TO LAND. I THEN TURNED FINAL ABOUT 1 MI OUT AND THE CTLR CLRED A BEECH STARSHIP ONTO THE RWY FOR DEP. HE TAXIED INTO POS AND HELD THERE. THE CTLR THEN TOLD ME TO GAR. IN THE LAST 50 MI OF MY FLT MY ENG HAD MISSED ABOUT 3 OR 4 TIMES; AND I FELT THAT ATTEMPTING A GAR AT THAT TIME AND FROM MY LOW ALT AND THE OTHER FLT CONDITIONS; WOULD BE UNSAFE. SO I TOLD THE CTLR THAT I FELT THAT I WAS COMMITTED TO LAND. AT THAT TIME THE STARSHIP DEPARTED. THE CTLR THEN TOLD ME TO LAND AT MY OWN DISCRETION. BY THE TIME I CROSSED THE THRESHOLD THE STARSHIP HAD CLRED THE END OF THE RWY AND HAD REACHED ABOUT 500 FT OF ALT. HINDSIGHT BECOMES 20/20 ON THESE THINGS. I DID NOT DECLARE AN EMER BECAUSE I DID NOT FEEL THAT I HAD ONE. I DID NOT MENTION THE ENG MISSING BECAUSE THE PROB RESOLVED ITSELF. MAYBE I SHOULD HAVE. I FELT THAT BY HAVING TO APPLY FULL PWR FOR A GAR COULD CREATE A SAFETY HAZARD TO MYSELF AND THE AIRPLANE. I WAS CALLED OUT TO THE CTL TWR THAT AFTERNOON FOR AN 'EDUCATIONAL MEETING' WITH TWR CTLR; THE SUPVR; ATC CTLR; THE TWR OPERATOR AND FAA INSPECTOR OF THE FAA (MSP FSDO). WE DISCUSSED THE EVENTS AND I FEEL I DEFINITELY LEARNED SOME INFO WHICH WAS BOTH INFORMATIVE AND HELPFUL. THE MEETING CONCLUDED WHEN THEY SAID THAT THEY FELT I UNDERSTOOD MY RESPONSIBILITIES AND THERE WOULD BE NOTHING FURTHER DONE ON THE MATTER. ATC CANNOT AND SHOULD NOT BE QUESTIONED ON EACH OF THEIR DECISIONS. AT THE SAME TIME; THEY HAVE TO TREAT ALL ACFT WITH RESPECT AND CARE AND NOT JUST LET A BIGGER; MORE EXPENSIVE ACFT TAKE PRECEDENCE WHEN THERE IS NOTHING TO BE GAINED AND QUITE A BIT TO LOSE. WE WERE THE ONLY 2 ACFT AROUND THEN. THERE WAS NO LINE WAITING TO GET OUT. IF I HAD APPLIED FULL PWR AND ATTEMPTED A GAR AND MY ENG HAD COUGHED AND QUIT; A VERY GRAVE ACCIDENT COULD HAVE OCCURRED. NATURALLY; IF I HAD HIT THE DEPARTING ACFT A SERIOUS ACCIDENT COULD HAVE OCCURRED. NONE OF THESE THINGS HAPPENED. AND MY EDUCATION WAS GREATLY INCREASED.