Narrative:

The aircraft departed hyi. WX conditions were VFR with no ceiling and light surface winds. Hyi is equipped with AWOS-3, so I was able to obtain an altimeter setting prior to departure. 1 passenger, my 16 yr old daughter, was aboard. I was current for this VFR night flight. The aircraft's airworthiness certificate was current. This was the aircraft's fourth flight of the day, a night VFR flight planned for 58 mins. The route of flight was to be hyi ela axh. The engine run-up was routine, and the climb to a planned cruising altitude of 7500 ft MSL was uneventful. Out of about 4500 ft I contacted ZHU on 125.65 and requested VFR flight following. I was given a squawk code and advised in radar contact. Fuel flow was normal, at about 13.5 gph. I was given a frequency change for ZHU to 119.17, and established contact on the new frequency. About 25 mins into the flight, my daughter commented that she thought the engine was making a knocking noise. I removed my headset and listened, but engine sounds and instrument readings were normal. Usually my daughter rides in the rear seats, and I attributed her comments to the fact she was in the front passenger seat without a headset or earplugs. At about 27 DME west of the ela VOR, there was a loud bang or explosion sound. I had noted an airport at about my 8 O'clock position, and immediately began to turn toward the airport's beacon. Having flown this route before, I thought the airport was at la grange, tx. I advised ZHU that I thought I had blown a cylinder and was declaring an emergency. I advised I was turning toward the airport off my left wing. The controller asked my heading toward the airport, and I remember responding 310 degrees. He advised it was brenham. I asked for the runway orientation and frequency for the airport and was advised runway 16/32 lighted and 122.9. He then advised I was 8 mi from the airport and could change to the advisory frequency. He requested I contact radio when down. The aircraft was developing partial power, and I elected to commence my descent rather than maintain altitude. I made a normal, although high, left downwind entry for runway 16. The runway lights weren't on, but came on immediately upon keying 122.9. I made one 360 degree turn at the approach end of runway 16 and made a normal landing. I taxied to the tiedown area with the engine idling rough and shut down the engine. We exited the airplane normally, and I immediately called the conroe FSS on my cell phone, and advised them we were down safely and that the sign on the fuel tank at the airport suggested we weren't at brenham but at la grange, tx. The FSS specialist said they were expecting my call and that she'd advise ZHU that we were down. I thanked her for ATC's assistance and then called for ground xportation on my own. I confirmed we were at la grange airport, identify 3t5, by reference to my charts on the aircraft. Due to the controller's assistance, I hadn't had to reference the charts during the descent or landing. I removed the cowling, but didn't see any obvious sign of the problem with the engine. At this time, the airplane has not yet been inspected by a mechanic to determine the problem. ATC was very helpful, although it would have been confusing to search for the chart for the wrong airport (brenham). Brenham has a different CTAF, and had I gone to that chart based on the controller's advice of the airport I was heading for, I might not have been able to activate the runway lights. However, the controller must have correctly idented the airport since he gave me the correct frequency. I really appreciate his help and maybe he corrected his initial identify of the airport and I just didn't hear it.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA28 PLT HEARS LOUD BANG AND EXPERIENCES LOSS OF ENG PWR AT CRUISE. TURNS TOWARD ARPT HE JUST PASSED.

Narrative: THE ACFT DEPARTED HYI. WX CONDITIONS WERE VFR WITH NO CEILING AND LIGHT SURFACE WINDS. HYI IS EQUIPPED WITH AWOS-3, SO I WAS ABLE TO OBTAIN AN ALTIMETER SETTING PRIOR TO DEP. 1 PAX, MY 16 YR OLD DAUGHTER, WAS ABOARD. I WAS CURRENT FOR THIS VFR NIGHT FLT. THE ACFT'S AIRWORTHINESS CERTIFICATE WAS CURRENT. THIS WAS THE ACFT'S FOURTH FLT OF THE DAY, A NIGHT VFR FLT PLANNED FOR 58 MINS. THE RTE OF FLT WAS TO BE HYI ELA AXH. THE ENG RUN-UP WAS ROUTINE, AND THE CLB TO A PLANNED CRUISING ALT OF 7500 FT MSL WAS UNEVENTFUL. OUT OF ABOUT 4500 FT I CONTACTED ZHU ON 125.65 AND REQUESTED VFR FLT FOLLOWING. I WAS GIVEN A SQUAWK CODE AND ADVISED IN RADAR CONTACT. FUEL FLOW WAS NORMAL, AT ABOUT 13.5 GPH. I WAS GIVEN A FREQ CHANGE FOR ZHU TO 119.17, AND ESTABLISHED CONTACT ON THE NEW FREQ. ABOUT 25 MINS INTO THE FLT, MY DAUGHTER COMMENTED THAT SHE THOUGHT THE ENG WAS MAKING A KNOCKING NOISE. I REMOVED MY HEADSET AND LISTENED, BUT ENG SOUNDS AND INST READINGS WERE NORMAL. USUALLY MY DAUGHTER RIDES IN THE REAR SEATS, AND I ATTRIBUTED HER COMMENTS TO THE FACT SHE WAS IN THE FRONT PAX SEAT WITHOUT A HEADSET OR EARPLUGS. AT ABOUT 27 DME W OF THE ELA VOR, THERE WAS A LOUD BANG OR EXPLOSION SOUND. I HAD NOTED AN ARPT AT ABOUT MY 8 O'CLOCK POS, AND IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TO TURN TOWARD THE ARPT'S BEACON. HAVING FLOWN THIS RTE BEFORE, I THOUGHT THE ARPT WAS AT LA GRANGE, TX. I ADVISED ZHU THAT I THOUGHT I HAD BLOWN A CYLINDER AND WAS DECLARING AN EMER. I ADVISED I WAS TURNING TOWARD THE ARPT OFF MY L WING. THE CTLR ASKED MY HDG TOWARD THE ARPT, AND I REMEMBER RESPONDING 310 DEGS. HE ADVISED IT WAS BRENHAM. I ASKED FOR THE RWY ORIENTATION AND FREQ FOR THE ARPT AND WAS ADVISED RWY 16/32 LIGHTED AND 122.9. HE THEN ADVISED I WAS 8 MI FROM THE ARPT AND COULD CHANGE TO THE ADVISORY FREQ. HE REQUESTED I CONTACT RADIO WHEN DOWN. THE ACFT WAS DEVELOPING PARTIAL PWR, AND I ELECTED TO COMMENCE MY DSCNT RATHER THAN MAINTAIN ALT. I MADE A NORMAL, ALTHOUGH HIGH, L DOWNWIND ENTRY FOR RWY 16. THE RWY LIGHTS WEREN'T ON, BUT CAME ON IMMEDIATELY UPON KEYING 122.9. I MADE ONE 360 DEG TURN AT THE APCH END OF RWY 16 AND MADE A NORMAL LNDG. I TAXIED TO THE TIEDOWN AREA WITH THE ENG IDLING ROUGH AND SHUT DOWN THE ENG. WE EXITED THE AIRPLANE NORMALLY, AND I IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE CONROE FSS ON MY CELL PHONE, AND ADVISED THEM WE WERE DOWN SAFELY AND THAT THE SIGN ON THE FUEL TANK AT THE ARPT SUGGESTED WE WEREN'T AT BRENHAM BUT AT LA GRANGE, TX. THE FSS SPECIALIST SAID THEY WERE EXPECTING MY CALL AND THAT SHE'D ADVISE ZHU THAT WE WERE DOWN. I THANKED HER FOR ATC'S ASSISTANCE AND THEN CALLED FOR GND XPORTATION ON MY OWN. I CONFIRMED WE WERE AT LA GRANGE ARPT, IDENT 3T5, BY REF TO MY CHARTS ON THE ACFT. DUE TO THE CTLR'S ASSISTANCE, I HADN'T HAD TO REF THE CHARTS DURING THE DSCNT OR LNDG. I REMOVED THE COWLING, BUT DIDN'T SEE ANY OBVIOUS SIGN OF THE PROB WITH THE ENG. AT THIS TIME, THE AIRPLANE HAS NOT YET BEEN INSPECTED BY A MECH TO DETERMINE THE PROB. ATC WAS VERY HELPFUL, ALTHOUGH IT WOULD HAVE BEEN CONFUSING TO SEARCH FOR THE CHART FOR THE WRONG ARPT (BRENHAM). BRENHAM HAS A DIFFERENT CTAF, AND HAD I GONE TO THAT CHART BASED ON THE CTLR'S ADVICE OF THE ARPT I WAS HDG FOR, I MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ACTIVATE THE RWY LIGHTS. HOWEVER, THE CTLR MUST HAVE CORRECTLY IDENTED THE ARPT SINCE HE GAVE ME THE CORRECT FREQ. I REALLY APPRECIATE HIS HELP AND MAYBE HE CORRECTED HIS INITIAL IDENT OF THE ARPT AND I JUST DIDN'T HEAR IT.

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.