Narrative:

On mar/fri/98, at approximately XC50Z during an IFR flight from nashville, tn, to chattanooga, tn, I discovered my engine oil pressure had decreased from its normal operating range to the caution range, but the oil temperature remained normal. After making some power changes, and propeller pitch changes I decided to return to nashville as a precaution. Before I could communicate my problem to ZME, I heard a C172 report icing conditions 18 mi northwest of chattanooga. The C172 pilot asked to return to chattanooga, and ZME vectored him back to the airport. I then made my request with ZME to return to nashville because of my low oil pressure indication. ZME promptly gave me a vector back toward nashville and told me to contact nashville approach. I contacted nashville approach and told them about my situation, and that I thought I should land at the nearest airport with emergency equipment just in case my situation became worse. Smyrna, tn, is 10 mi southeast of nashville, so I decided to land in smyrna. After landing safely in smyrna I contacted our maintenance department and told them about the airplane's condition. We decided to ground the airplane and return to nashville by car. However, before leaving smyrna I was approached by 2 FAA inspectors from nashville's FSDO. The inspectors ramp checked me at the airport's restaurant, and asked me why I was flying in an area that had been issued an airmet at XA00Z for icing conditions. To my surprise, I informed them that I didn't remember an airmet for icing during my briefing. The inspector informed me that nashville approach called the FSDO and told them that the reason I was returning to nashville was because 'I had ice,' which is not true at all. I never received any ice during the total duration of the flight. In fact, I was cruising between layers and only descended through lower clouds that were below the freezing level. I'm not sure the inspectors believed me and they told me that they would listen to the tapes, and that they were on a 'facts finding mission,' and that more than likely I would receive a 'letter of investigation' which could result in some sort of punishment. Needless to say, I'm immeasurably distraught about this. I do realize that I may not have received the airmet or PIREPS, or possibly didn't hear about the airmet over our classroom speaker phone. At any rate there was certainly no malicious intent on anyone's (my) part to violate any FAA regulations or procedures. I'm an accident prevention counselor for our local FSDO and I've been instructing for 14 yrs with a clean accident and incident free record. I understand the importance of airmets and sigmets and respect all hazardous WX reports. If I did miss any information during my briefing I truly regret it and apologize to everyone and I assure you and the aviation industry that this will not happen ever again.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PA28 PLT LOST OIL PRESSURE DURING A XCOUNTRY FLT AND HE LANDED AT A NEARBY ARPT WHERE HE WAS ACCUSED OF FLYING IN ICING CONDITIONS.

Narrative: ON MAR/FRI/98, AT APPROX XC50Z DURING AN IFR FLT FROM NASHVILLE, TN, TO CHATTANOOGA, TN, I DISCOVERED MY ENG OIL PRESSURE HAD DECREASED FROM ITS NORMAL OPERATING RANGE TO THE CAUTION RANGE, BUT THE OIL TEMP REMAINED NORMAL. AFTER MAKING SOME PWR CHANGES, AND PROP PITCH CHANGES I DECIDED TO RETURN TO NASHVILLE AS A PRECAUTION. BEFORE I COULD COMMUNICATE MY PROB TO ZME, I HEARD A C172 RPT ICING CONDITIONS 18 MI NW OF CHATTANOOGA. THE C172 PLT ASKED TO RETURN TO CHATTANOOGA, AND ZME VECTORED HIM BACK TO THE ARPT. I THEN MADE MY REQUEST WITH ZME TO RETURN TO NASHVILLE BECAUSE OF MY LOW OIL PRESSURE INDICATION. ZME PROMPTLY GAVE ME A VECTOR BACK TOWARD NASHVILLE AND TOLD ME TO CONTACT NASHVILLE APCH. I CONTACTED NASHVILLE APCH AND TOLD THEM ABOUT MY SIT, AND THAT I THOUGHT I SHOULD LAND AT THE NEAREST ARPT WITH EMER EQUIP JUST IN CASE MY SIT BECAME WORSE. SMYRNA, TN, IS 10 MI SE OF NASHVILLE, SO I DECIDED TO LAND IN SMYRNA. AFTER LNDG SAFELY IN SMYRNA I CONTACTED OUR MAINT DEPT AND TOLD THEM ABOUT THE AIRPLANE'S CONDITION. WE DECIDED TO GND THE AIRPLANE AND RETURN TO NASHVILLE BY CAR. HOWEVER, BEFORE LEAVING SMYRNA I WAS APCHED BY 2 FAA INSPECTORS FROM NASHVILLE'S FSDO. THE INSPECTORS RAMP CHKED ME AT THE ARPT'S RESTAURANT, AND ASKED ME WHY I WAS FLYING IN AN AREA THAT HAD BEEN ISSUED AN AIRMET AT XA00Z FOR ICING CONDITIONS. TO MY SURPRISE, I INFORMED THEM THAT I DIDN'T REMEMBER AN AIRMET FOR ICING DURING MY BRIEFING. THE INSPECTOR INFORMED ME THAT NASHVILLE APCH CALLED THE FSDO AND TOLD THEM THAT THE REASON I WAS RETURNING TO NASHVILLE WAS BECAUSE 'I HAD ICE,' WHICH IS NOT TRUE AT ALL. I NEVER RECEIVED ANY ICE DURING THE TOTAL DURATION OF THE FLT. IN FACT, I WAS CRUISING BTWN LAYERS AND ONLY DSNDED THROUGH LOWER CLOUDS THAT WERE BELOW THE FREEZING LEVEL. I'M NOT SURE THE INSPECTORS BELIEVED ME AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY WOULD LISTEN TO THE TAPES, AND THAT THEY WERE ON A 'FACTS FINDING MISSION,' AND THAT MORE THAN LIKELY I WOULD RECEIVE A 'LETTER OF INVESTIGATION' WHICH COULD RESULT IN SOME SORT OF PUNISHMENT. NEEDLESS TO SAY, I'M IMMEASURABLY DISTRAUGHT ABOUT THIS. I DO REALIZE THAT I MAY NOT HAVE RECEIVED THE AIRMET OR PIREPS, OR POSSIBLY DIDN'T HEAR ABOUT THE AIRMET OVER OUR CLASSROOM SPEAKER PHONE. AT ANY RATE THERE WAS CERTAINLY NO MALICIOUS INTENT ON ANYONE'S (MY) PART TO VIOLATE ANY FAA REGS OR PROCS. I'M AN ACCIDENT PREVENTION COUNSELOR FOR OUR LCL FSDO AND I'VE BEEN INSTRUCTING FOR 14 YRS WITH A CLEAN ACCIDENT AND INCIDENT FREE RECORD. I UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF AIRMETS AND SIGMETS AND RESPECT ALL HAZARDOUS WX RPTS. IF I DID MISS ANY INFO DURING MY BRIEFING I TRULY REGRET IT AND APOLOGIZE TO EVERYONE AND I ASSURE YOU AND THE AVIATION INDUSTRY THAT THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN EVER AGAIN.

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.