PVT PLT ON IFR FLT DIVERTED TO LAND DUE TO A ROUGH RUNNING ENG AND LOSS OF PWR. ATC DIRECTED HIM TO THE NEAREST ARPT WHICH HAPPENED TO BE CLOSED BECAUSE OF SNOW ON THE RWY.

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ENG DEVELOPED ROUGHNESS; UNABLE TO RESTORE FULL PWR. ASKED ATC FOR VECTORS TO NEAREST ARPT DUE TO ENG ROUGHNESS. THEY FIRST VECTORED ME TO AIRLAKE (Y12) AT 10 MI; THEN SUGGESTED 'GRASS LNDG STRIP' AT STANTON (SYN) AT 1 1/2 MI. I TOOK (SYN) AS UNCERTAIN HOW LONG ENG WOULD RUN; AND WANTED TO LAND ASAP. RWY WAS SOFT WITH MELTING SNOW AND ICE. LANDED SAFELY AND WAS THEN TOLD BY LCL ARPT MGR THAT ARPT WAS CLOSED DUE TO SOFT RWY. WHEN I WAS ON ATC FREQ I HAD NOT DECLARED AN EMER; I SIMPLY ASKED FOR VECTORS TO NEAREST ARPT DUE TO ENG ROUGHNESS AND LOSS OF PWR. WHEN I WAS CLRED TO LCL CTAF FREQ 122.8 I DECLARED AN EMER TO WARN ANY LCL TFC. THERE WAS NONE. I SEE NO PROB HERE EXCEPT THAT I LANDED AT A CLOSED ARPT. HAD I KNOWN IT WAS CLOSED I WOULD HAVE LANDED ANYWAY AS IT APPEARED SAFE; ALTHOUGH SOFT. I DIDN'T WANT TO RISK TOTAL ENG FAILURE AWAY FROM ANY ARPT. I THINK THE SYS WORKED WELL; ATC WAS MOST HELPFUL. THE ONLY SUGGESTION FOR IMPROVEMENT WAS IF ATC COULD HAVE TOLD ME THE RWY WAS CLOSED DUE TO SOFTNESS I MIGHT HAVE SET UP MY APCH DIFFERENTLY. IT WORKED OUT WELL WITH NO DAMAGE OR INJURY ALTHOUGH LEGALLY THE ARPT WAS CLOSED.