A PA28-161 PLT RPTED A 'SPUTTERING' ENG WHILE PERFORMING PRACTICE AIR MANEUVERS.

Date: 2004-10 · Aircraft: PA-28 Cherokee/Archer/Dakota/Pillan/Warrior · Phase: cruise

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-critical

Synopsis

A PA28-161 PLT RPTED A 'SPUTTERING' ENG WHILE PERFORMING PRACTICE AIR MANEUVERS.

Narrative

I PERFORMED THE PREFLT FOR A SOLO FLT TO THE PRACTICE AREA TO REVIEW MANEUVERS FOR MY STAGE CHK HRS LATER. ALL WAS WELL INCLUDING FUEL SAMPLES; OIL; ETC. FLT INST CHK AND RUN-UP ALL WENT GOOD. GAUGES WERE IN THE GREEN AT ALL TIMES AND ENG RAN SMOOTHLY. I ENTERED INTO A COMMERCIAL STEEP TURN. 1/4 INTO THE MANEUVER THE ENG 'SPUTTERED.' I IMMEDIATELY CONFIRMED MY MIXTURE WAS RICH AND PUT ON MY ELECTRIC FUEL PUMP AS I NOTICED THE GAUGE FOR FUEL PRESSURE WAS IN THE RED REGION. ONCE IN STRAIGHT AND LEVEL FLT AND THE ELECTRIC FUEL PUMP ON I HAD A REGULAR FUEL PRESSURE READING OF 5 PSI. AT THAT POINT MY HDG INDICATOR BECAME UNUSABLE AND JUST CONTINUED CIRCLING. IT WOULD GO FASTER CLOCKWISE IN STRAIGHT FLT; BUT SLOWED DOWN WHEN CLBING OR DSNDING. I THEN TURNED TOWARDS THE ARPT TO LAND. I FOUND THE SETTING THAT GAVE ME THE MOST FUEL PRESSURE AND PRECEDED INBOUND; HOWEVER IT STILL DIPPED INTO THE RED ZONE AT TIMES. IN THE LAST 10 MINS OF FLT THE FUEL PRESSURE GAUGE WAS IN THE RED OVER 60% OF THE TIME. I CALLED TWR AND INFORMED THEM THAT I WAS 15 MI OUT WITH INFO WITH A LOW FUEL PRESSURE AND INOP HDG INDICATOR. LESS THAN 2 MINS LATER I TRIED AGAIN. I EXPLAINED THE SIT AGAIN AND GOT THE REPLY 'STANDBY.' AFTER HEARING THAT I EXPLAINED THE SIT AGAIN; AND TOLD THE CTLR THAT I NEEDED TO LAND. AT THIS POINT I WAS 8 MI S WHEN HE RESPONDED WITH 'MAKE L-HAND 360 DEGS FOR SEPARATION.' MY FLT INSTRUCTOR; WAS IN ANOTHER ACFT IN THE PATTERN AND TOLD ME TO DECLARE AN EMER IF I FELT THE NEEDED. NOT WANTING TO TURN AWAY FROM THE ARPT I FLEW DIRECT TO THE AIRFIELD AND DECLARED AN EMER AND TWR RESPONDED BY TELLING ALL TFC TO STANDBY FOR EMER TFC. I CAME IN TO RWY 30L AT A 45 DEG ANGLE AND MADE A QUICK L HAND TURN TO GET THE ACFT ON THE GND. ONCE WHEELS TOUCHED DOWN I RPTED SO AND THE FIRE/EMER RESPONSE TEAM MET ME AT TXWY V; SHORT OF TXWY B. I PERFORMED THE AFTER LNDG CHKLIST AND DID NOT SEEM TO BE IN DANGER; SO I REQUESTED TO TAXI TO THE N RAMP. I FOLLOWED COMPANY TO THE RAMP. FOLLOWING ME WAS THE FIRE/EMER RESPONSE TEAM. ONCE GETTING OUT OF THE ACFT I GAVE MY CONTACT INFO TO THE ARPT INDIVIDUALS PRESENT.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.