A PA28R ON RWY 28 FINAL APCH AT 1800 FT DECLARED AN EMER DUE TO LOSS OF PWR. CAUSED BY #1 CYLINDER FAILURE AND LOSS OF #1 PISTON.

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DEPARTED FW SPINKS AT XA20 ON NOV/SAT/02 WITH INSTRUCTOR FOR BFR/CURRENCY WORK. THIS WAS 5TH FLT IN THIS ACFT WITH THIS INSTRUCTOR. ACFT IS A PA28R ON LEASE BACK. AFTER NORMAL RUNUP AND UNEVENTFUL TKOF; WE FLEW 40 NM TO MINERAL WELLS ARPT USING MINERAL WELLS VOR FOR NAV PRACTICE. WE DID A TOUCH-AND-GO ON RWY 17 AND ON CLBOUT; THE ENG RAN ROUGH WITH SOME SMALL VIBRATION. THE ENG SMOOTHED OUT WHEN WE REDUCED MANIFOLD PRESSURE AND PROP TO 23 INCHES AND 2300 RPM; AND IT RAN SMOOTH TO BOURLAND FIELD (50F) WHERE WE DID A TOUCH-AND-GO. AGAIN; THE ENG RAN ROUGH ON CLBOUT; BUT SMOOTHED OUT ONCE WE REDUCED PWR TO 23 INCHES AND RPM TO 2300 RPM. THE INSTRUCTOR ASKED IF I WANTED TO DO ANOTHER TOUCH-AND-GO AT BOURLAND FIELD (MY HOME ARPT) AND I SAID; 'NO; THIS ENG HAS A PROB; LET'S GET IT HOME.' WE PROCEEDED TO FT WORTH SPINKS. I CALLED TWR AND ENTERED THE PATTERN AS #2 FOR LNDG. WHEN I REDUCED PWR; THE ENG BEGAN VIBRATING; ALTHOUGH IT MAINTAINED PWR AND RPM. THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF LOSS OF MANIFOLD PRESSURE OR RPM. OIL TEMP AND OIL PRESSURE WERE NORMAL AND IN THE GREEN. (BOTH WERE NORMAL AND IN THE GREEN ON CLBOUT AT MINERAL WELLS AND BOURLAND.) AT THIS POINT; I SHOULD HAVE CALLED TWR TO REQUEST A PRIORITY LNDG; BUT DIDN'T. (I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT PRIORITY LNDGS -- ONLY EMER LNDGS.) THE ENG WAS RUNNING AND RESPONDING TO PWR CHANGES -- ONLY IT WAS VIBRATING. WHEN WE TURNED TO FINAL; AS #2 IN PATTERN AND 2 MI OUT (A LONG FINAL DUE TO TFC) THE ENG BEGAN LOSING PWR. I CALLED TWR FOR EMER AND TOLD THEM WE WOULD NOT MAKE THE ARPT. TWR CLRED THE AIR; AND THE PWR RETURNED TO THE ENG. WE WERE ABLE TO LAND ON THE RWY. WHEN WE EXITED AND PULLED INTO THE RAMP AREA; THE ACFT #1 CYLINDER LOAD HAD COME OFF THE ENG AND LODGED HALFWAY THROUGH THE COWLING. EXAMINATION SHOWED A NORMAL CYLINDER WITH BOTH VALVES AND NO INTERNAL DAMAGE. THERE WAS NO PISTON.