PA28 PILOT EXPERIENCES VACUUM SYSTEM FAILURE WITH SMOKE AT 5500 FEET; AND AFTER DECLARING AN EMERGENCY LANDS AT NEAREST SUITABLE ARPT UNEVENTFULLY.

Narrative

DIRECTIONAL GYRO; ALT INDICATOR; VACUUM FAILURE; STRONG SMELL OF SMOKE AND SMALL AMOUNT OF VISUAL SMOKE FROM INST PANEL; DECLARED EMER; TURNED TO ARPT; TURNED OFF NON ESSENTIAL ELECTRONICS AND VENTILATED COCKPIT. WAS CLRED BY APCH TO LAND AND HANDED OFF TO TWR. LANDED STRAIGHT IN; ADVISED TWR THAT SMOKE HAD CLRED FROM COCKPIT AND WAS ADVISED IF ABLE TO TAXI TO RAMP. TAXIED TO FBO WITH EMER VEHICLES FOLLOWING. ONCE CLR OF THE TXWYS EXITED ACFT AND CHKED ENG COMPARTMENT FOR ANY FIRE HAZARD. A MECH CHKED THE ACFT AND DETERMINED SMOKE AND SMELL CAME FROM THE SHEARED VACUUM PUMP. EMER PERSONNEL ON SITE DECLARED EMER OVER. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE ACFT TYPE WAS A PA28 THAT HAD FLOWN ABOUT 150 HOURS SINCE THE ENGINE HAD RECEIVED A MAJOR OVERHAUL. THE VACUUM PUMP WAS REPLACED AT THAT TIME AND THE REPORTER BELIEVES THAT IT MUST HAVE BEEN DEFECTIVE. THE DECISION TO LAND QUICKLY WAS INFLUENCED BY A RECENT FATAL ACCIDENT THE REPORTER WAS FAMILIAR WITH; IN WHICH THE DECISION TO LAND WAS DELAYED.