A PIPER PA28 MADE AN OFF FIELD LNDG DUE TO LOSS OF ENG PWR CAUSED BY A FAILED #3 CYLINDER.

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I DEPARTED TYS AT APPROX XA15. THE FLT WAS MOSTLY VMC WITH OCCASIONALLY IMC. I FLEW AT AN INITIAL ALT OF 9000 FT MSL; CHANGING TO 11000 FT MSL AND THEN SETTLING AT 7000 FT MSL FOR THE FINAL HALF OF THE FLT. AT APPROX XD30 AND 2600 FT MSL; THE ENG BEGAN TO MISS AND SPUTTER. I IMMEDIATELY PUSHED THE THROTTLE AND MIXTURE FORWARD. I TURNED THE ELECTRIC FUEL PUMP ON AS WELL. THE ACFT CONTINUED TO MISS AND SPUTTER; SO I SWITCHED FROM THE L FUEL TANK TO THE R. THE ENG RETURNED TO NORMAL. I RADIOED TAMPA CTR AND INFORMED THEM THAT I WAS HAVING SOME ENG DIFFICULTIES AND WANTED DIRECT VECTORS TO BKV FOR A VISUAL APCH. THEY INFORMED ME THAT I WAS 9 NM FROM THE FIELD AND BKV WAS AT MY 12 O'CLOCK POS. THERE WAS HAZE AND VISIBILITY WAS POOR; SO I COULD NOT SEE THE FIELD. APPROX 30 SECONDS LATER THE ENG BEGAN TO MISS AND SPUTTER AGAIN. I ASKED TAMPA CTR HOW FAR AWAY I WAS NOW AND THEY TOLD ME 7 NM AND AT MY 12 O'CLOCK POS. I WAS LOSING ALT AND AT 2200 FT MSL AND 7 NM FROM BKV; I DECIDED TO MAKE AN EMER LNDG. I INFORMED TPA OF MY INTENTIONS. THEY PROVIDED ME WITH THE CURRENT BKV ALTIMETER; WINDS; AND TFC. I SQUAWKED 7700 ON MY XPONDER AND PICKED OUT A FIELD LOCATED 1 NM TO MY 9 O'CLOCK POS. I TRIMMED THE ACFT FOR 73 KTS WHICH IT WOULD NOT HOLD WITHOUT LOSING SIGNIFICANT ALT. I PULLED BACK ON THE YOKE AND HELD A DSCNT OF 500 FPM TOWARDS THE FIELD. I WAS TOO HIGH FOR A STRAIGHT-IN LNDG; SO I ELECTED TO MAKE AN ABBREVIATED PATTERN APCH TO THE FIELD. ON THE DOWNWIND LEG; THE ACFT STALL WARNING HORN WENT OFF. I PUSHED THE NOSE OVER SLIGHTLY UNTIL IT WENT OFF AND PULLED THE 2 REMAINING NOTCHES OF FLAPS. I WAS 700 FT MSL AND MY AIRSPD WAS ABOUT 55 KIAS. THE ENG COMPLETELY STOPPED ON DOWNWIND AND I TURNED OFF ALL THE ELECTRICS EXCEPT MY XPONDER. MY 1 PAX AND I CHKED OUR SEATBELTS AND I REMOVED MY KNEE BOARD. I PUSHED THE NOSE OVER TO GAIN AIRSPD AND THEN MADE A 180 DEG TURN FROM DOWNWIND TO SHORT FINAL. AS I WAS NEAR COMPLETION OF MY TURN; MY AIRSPD WAS 60 KIAS AND THE STALL WARNING HORN WENT OFF AGAIN. I WAS 100 FT MSL. I LEVELED THE WINGS; PUSHED THE NOSE OVER -- THE HORN WENT SILENT. AT ABOUT 20 FT AGL; I BEGAN TO PULL THE NOSE UP AND PLACED THE ACFT INTO A FLARE. WE TOUCHED DOWN AND ROLLED OUT TO A STOP AROUND 500 FT AFTER TOUCHDOWN. WE EVACED THE ACFT AND I IMMEDIATELY CALLED TAMPA CTR AND INFORMED THEM THAT WE HAD LANDED WITHOUT INJURY AND WITHOUT DAMAGE TO THE ACFT. I CHKED THE FUEL TANKS AND THEY BOTH APPEARED DRY. I MET WITH THE FAA TAMPA FSDO THE NEXT MORNING AT THE ACFT. THEY ASKED ME TO START THE AIRPLANE. I CRANKED ON THE ACFT AND IT STARTED. THE FAA SAID THAT THIS WAS NOT A COMPLETE FUEL STARVATION. IN ADDITION; THEY INFORMED ME THAT IT WAS NOT A VIOLATION NOR WAS IT AN ACCIDENT. THEY WOULD BE SENDING ME A LETTER IN THE MAIL AND RECOMMENDING I TAKE A 3 HR FLT PLANNING COURSE; FOLLOWED BY A VISIT TO MY LCL FSDO OFFICE AND AN ORAL REVIEW OF FLT PLANNING. THEY TOLD ME THAT I WAS FREE TO FLY THE ACFT OUT OF THE FIELD. I ADDED 15 GALLONS OF AVIATION 100LL. I INSPECTED THE GRASS FIELD FOR ANY HOLES; ETC. I MADE A VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE AREA FOR OBSTACLES AND NOTED 2 TREES AND A HOUSE AT THE END OF THE FIELD APPROX 3500 FT AWAY. I STARTED THE ACFT AND TAXIED TO THE END OF THE FIELD. I PERFORMED A RUN-UP AND EVERYTHING APPEARED NORMAL. I WAITED 2 MINS TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANY SIGN OF ENG TROUBLE. I PERFORMED A SECOND RUN-UP AND EVERYTHING APPEARED NORMAL. I WAITED AN ADDITIONAL 2 MINS AND EVERYTHING WAS STILL NORMAL. I PERFORMED A SOFT FIELD TKOF; COMBINED WITH A SHORT FIELD TKOF PROC. I ROTATED WELL BEFORE MY SELF DESIGNATED GO/NO-GO POINT. I CLBED OUT TO 2000 FT MSL AND HEADED STRAIGHT FOR THE BKV ARPT. UPON ARR; I HAD THE ACFT TOPPED OFF WITH FUEL. IT HELD 35 GALLONS COMBINED WITH THE 15 GALLONS I PUT IN JUST MINS BEFORE; THAT WAS A COMBINED 50 GALLONS -- WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT THE ACFT HOLDS. MINUS THE FEW GALLONS I BURNED ON THE RUN-UPS; TKOF AND FLT FROM THE GRASS FIELD TO THE ARPT AND I HAD LANDED IN THE GRASS FIELD THE NIGHT BEFORE WITHMAYBE 2-4 GALLONS OF FUEL. WHY DID THE ACFT BURN ALMOST 12 GPH INSTEAD OF 8 GPH? I BEGAN REVIEWING THE ENTIRE FLT SEQUENCE FOR ANSWERS. ON TKOF FOR MY NEXT TRIP; I APPLIED PWR GRADUALLY AND WATCHED MY RPM'S AND AIRSPD. I NOTICED MY RPM'S WOULD NOT BUILD UP OVER 2100-2200 RPM'S. I WATCHED MY AIRSPD STRUGGLE. I ABORTED THE TKOF AND PULLED OFF THE RWY ONTO TXWY A3. I RADIOED THE TWR AND ASKED TO TAXI BACK TO RWY 5R FOR ANOTHER RUN-UP. THE SECOND RUN-UP WAS ALSO NORMAL. I MADE THE DECISION TO GO. CLRED FOR TKOF; I APPLIED PWR AND WATCHED THE RPM GAUGE. THIS TIME I GOT 2400 RPM'S AND CONTINUED ON DOWN THE RWY. I ROTATED AT 65 KIAS AND NOTICED THE CLBOUT WAS SLUGGISH. MAINT REVIEW: UPON TAKING THE ACFT TO BKV; I HAD A MECH LOOK OVER THE FUEL SYS. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF A LITTLE DEBRIS IN THE FUEL STRAINER; THERE WERE NO LEAKS DETECTED. I FELT POORLY ABOUT MY FLT PLANNING ABILITIES; BUT I WAS CONVINCED THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH THE ACFT AND WAS NOT GOING TO FLY IT UNTIL SOMETHING WAS FOUND. I ASKED THEM TO PERFORM A COMPRESSION CHK. THE FBO CALLED ME WITH THE RESULTS OF THE COMPRESSION CHK. 3 CYLINDERS WERE FINE WITH A READING OF 77/80. THE #3 CYLINDER WAS NOT SO GOOD WITH A READING OF 52/80. ANYTHING BELOW 60/80 REQUIRES THAT THE CYLINDER BE PULLED AND INSPECTED. THE CYLINDER HAS BEEN PULLED AND THE BLOW-BY APPEARS TO BE OCCURRING AT THE RINGS. THE CYLINDER IS BEING REBUILT BY AN APPROVED FAA REPAIR CTR. IN REVIEW; IT SEEMS THAT THE DEAD CYLINDER WAS THE CULPRIT OF THE EXCESSIVE FUEL AND OIL CONSUMPTION. 3 DAYS BEFORE THE TRIP; ONE OF THE OTHER ACFT OWNERS HAD FLOWN THE ACFT AND NOTED THAT IT WOULD NOT PRODUCE MORE THAN 2300 RPM'S. HE RETURNED TO TYS AND FOUND THAT 4 SPARK PLUGS WERE IN BAD SHAPE. HE IS AN A&P MECH AND HE REPLACED THE SPARK PLUGS THINKING THE PROB WAS RESOLVED. IN RETROSPECT; IT IS OBVIOUS TO ME THAT THE ABORTED TKOF; THE ADDITIONAL ROLL-OUT ON TKOF; AND THE POOR CLB PERFORMANCE WERE NOT A FACTOR OF THE WX; BUT A FACTOR OF THE ENG. INDIVIDUALLY; THESE THINGS WERE IGNORED BY ME AS NORMAL AFTER THINKING ABOUT THEM BRIEFLY DURING THE FLT. I ALMOST RETURNED TO TYS DUE TO THE POOR CLBING CAPABILITIES OF THE ACFT; BUT I IGNORED THAT THOUGHT. NOW; I RECOGNIZE THAT IF SOMETHING DOESN'T SEEM RIGHT; THAT IT IS PROBABLY NOT. JUST LIKE THE ABORTED TKOF; I SHOULD HAVE ABORTED THE TRIP.