Narrative:

Aircraft, an small aircraft, #3 cylinder exhaust gasket blew, apparently set some oil on fire from a leaking valve cover. Contacted ATC on what I thought to be 121.5 and told them that I had a fire and was going down. ATC said to squawk 7700 and asked where I was. I told them that I was east of columbus, south of a 4-LANE highway. ATC said something like auburn-opelika airport was either left or west of me and I turned left and saw an airport just south of the highway well within range that I could make. At this time, I informed ATC that I had the airport made and was returning my transponder to 1200, thanked them for their help and landed. I fixed the bad exhaust gasket and was on my way home in about 20 mins. My problem is that the FAA has a problem with the fact that I was able to fix the plane and still beat my ETA home. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporting pilot is an 'ia' mechanic as well as having flown crop dusters for 15 yrs and has a little bit of experience in the system. When he smelled the smoke, he turned off the fuel and dove the aircraft to blow out the fire. His emergency call was answered by bhm ground control who thought that he was over columbus, GA, when in fact he was over columbus, ms. Bhm ground control directed him to an airport that just coincidentally happened to be under the reporter's wing, but not the one that bhm ground control was thinking about. The reporter bought a gasket, borrowed some tools, and fixed the leaking exhaust and was on his way without really finding out where he had landed. Bhm ground control apparently did not hear the reporter's transmission that he had an airport in sight and was landing. He had actually landed at columbus-lowndes (ubs), ms, and bhm ground control thought that he had landed at columbus (csg), GA. The FAA and the NTSB have both talked to the reporter and the reporter believes that there may be some controllers who have gotten into trouble for giving the wrong vectors. The reporter feels that the bhm GADO is out to give him a violation to cover up for bhm ground control. He promises never again to declare an emergency.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A HIGHLY EXPERIENCED SMA PLT LANDED SAFELY AFTER DECLARING AN EMER WITH AN APPARENT ENG FIRE.

Narrative: ACFT, AN SMA, #3 CYLINDER EXHAUST GASKET BLEW, APPARENTLY SET SOME OIL ON FIRE FROM A LEAKING VALVE COVER. CONTACTED ATC ON WHAT I THOUGHT TO BE 121.5 AND TOLD THEM THAT I HAD A FIRE AND WAS GOING DOWN. ATC SAID TO SQUAWK 7700 AND ASKED WHERE I WAS. I TOLD THEM THAT I WAS E OF COLUMBUS, S OF A 4-LANE HWY. ATC SAID SOMETHING LIKE AUBURN-OPELIKA ARPT WAS EITHER L OR W OF ME AND I TURNED L AND SAW AN ARPT JUST S OF THE HWY WELL WITHIN RANGE THAT I COULD MAKE. AT THIS TIME, I INFORMED ATC THAT I HAD THE ARPT MADE AND WAS RETURNING MY XPONDER TO 1200, THANKED THEM FOR THEIR HELP AND LANDED. I FIXED THE BAD EXHAUST GASKET AND WAS ON MY WAY HOME IN ABOUT 20 MINS. MY PROB IS THAT THE FAA HAS A PROB WITH THE FACT THAT I WAS ABLE TO FIX THE PLANE AND STILL BEAT MY ETA HOME. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTING PLT IS AN 'IA' MECH AS WELL AS HAVING FLOWN CROP DUSTERS FOR 15 YRS AND HAS A LITTLE BIT OF EXPERIENCE IN THE SYS. WHEN HE SMELLED THE SMOKE, HE TURNED OFF THE FUEL AND DOVE THE ACFT TO BLOW OUT THE FIRE. HIS EMER CALL WAS ANSWERED BY BHM GND CTL WHO THOUGHT THAT HE WAS OVER COLUMBUS, GA, WHEN IN FACT HE WAS OVER COLUMBUS, MS. BHM GND CTL DIRECTED HIM TO AN ARPT THAT JUST COINCIDENTALLY HAPPENED TO BE UNDER THE RPTR'S WING, BUT NOT THE ONE THAT BHM GND CTL WAS THINKING ABOUT. THE RPTR BOUGHT A GASKET, BORROWED SOME TOOLS, AND FIXED THE LEAKING EXHAUST AND WAS ON HIS WAY WITHOUT REALLY FINDING OUT WHERE HE HAD LANDED. BHM GND CTL APPARENTLY DID NOT HEAR THE RPTR'S XMISSION THAT HE HAD AN ARPT IN SIGHT AND WAS LNDG. HE HAD ACTUALLY LANDED AT COLUMBUS-LOWNDES (UBS), MS, AND BHM GND CTL THOUGHT THAT HE HAD LANDED AT COLUMBUS (CSG), GA. THE FAA AND THE NTSB HAVE BOTH TALKED TO THE RPTR AND THE RPTR BELIEVES THAT THERE MAY BE SOME CTLRS WHO HAVE GOTTEN INTO TROUBLE FOR GIVING THE WRONG VECTORS. THE RPTR FEELS THAT THE BHM GADO IS OUT TO GIVE HIM A VIOLATION TO COVER UP FOR BHM GND CTL. HE PROMISES NEVER AGAIN TO DECLARE AN EMER.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.