Narrative:

Upon departure I immediately climbed to 8;000 MSL and broke out of the clouds VFR on top; as expected. I made a pilot report with ATC as I had promised the FSS immediately before my departure. During the climb I accumulated minimal traces of ice as had been reported to me by another pilot who landed at my departure airport approximately 2 hours before. The sun immediately began melting away any traces of ice. Due to the VFR conditions on top and the possibility of shortening my route I decided to attempt to overfly the higher clouds to the southeast rather than my backup route to the north over the upper peninsula of the state. [While doing so] I made slight heading changes to the right and left of course throughout the climb to ensure that I did not maneuver into an area of clouds that I would not be able to escape from. I remained on the top side of the clouds while occasionally passing through small transparent accumulations that did not appear to pose any icing threat or block my view of the sun. While climbing through 13;000 ft I experienced a sudden thud; vibration; and loss in power. I initiated a rapid descent to increase indicated airspeed and began a turn for lower clouds while I attempted to verify the problem. ATC immediately queried me. I advised of my loss in power and indicated that I would probably need a vector to landing. ATC immediately responded with emergency inquiries; however I was unable to give clear and concise answers as my immediate concern was restoring power and remaining above the clouds. I first began trouble shooting the engine as the vibration caused me to suspect icing on my prop. I soon realized that my landing gear was down and locked. I overrode my emergency gear extension system and waited for my landing gear to retract. I was then able to reestablish a climb and remain above the clouds. I resumed my normal procedures for high altitude climbs; increasing airspeed and sacrificing airspeed for altitude. I then began verifying the reliability of all my systems; including a query to ATC to verify my altitude encoder. Upon verifying the successful operation of all my systems I notified ATC that I had restored full control of the airplane and felt that my best option was to continue to my destination where the weather was completely clear. I also requested a block altitude to allow me to obtain a better view over the higher clouds that I was paralleling. Another factor was that it can be difficult to maintain high altitudes without a turbocharger; therefore the block altitude allowed me to use thermal activity to my advantage and maintain the highest possible margin above the clouds. Additionally; the cold temperatures were causing lower density altitudes making it easier to breath without oxygen. Due to the possibility of unseen ice or other complications on the aircraft I remained at high altitude beyond oxygen requirements. My passenger and I were alert and challenging each other. Also; we decided to use our block altitude to attempt additional climbs; just for the purpose of verifying excess engine power. We felt that it was best to maintain altitude until ATC requested otherwise. We completed the flight without flaps and made approach at higher than normal airspeed just because. An inspection after landing revealed no hidden airframe icing.I believe my advanced understanding of aeronautical principals resulted in a successful flight marked by excessive precautions. However; it did reveal a significant deficiency in my training and the training that I give to my students in the piper arrow. High altitude flight is a plausible and legitimate backup when flying the PA28R. However; most flight time is spent below 10;000 ft due to improved engine performance. Therefore; most of my high altitude flight hours were training or mountain crossing. Despite the fact that high altitude climbs utilize reduced indicated air speeds there is no standardized training for unexpected gearextension at high altitude. Had I practiced gear extensions at high altitude I would have been able to identify the conditions as normal rather than marking the reminder of my flight with excessive precautions.additionally; I believe ATC provided a stunning performance; offering alternate destinations and headings long before I was able to begin a flight to landing. I wish that I could have provided better information to ATC sooner; however I quickly realized that I was not helping the controller by offering updates while I was troubleshooting the aircraft. I can only imagine the fear that gripped the controller; as I feared for my life. Had I not identified my power loss as an increase in drag; I could have died in the clouds.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A low time Flight Instructor flying a PA28R-200 VFR on top with an IFR clearance experienced problems with icing; unfamiliarity with the aircraft's automatic landing gear extension system; increasing altitude of the undercast and possible oxygen deprivation due to sustained flight above 10;000 MSL without oxygen.

Narrative: Upon departure I immediately climbed to 8;000 MSL and broke out of the clouds VFR on top; as expected. I made a pilot report with ATC as I had promised the FSS immediately before my departure. During the climb I accumulated minimal traces of ice as had been reported to me by another pilot who landed at my departure airport approximately 2 hours before. The sun immediately began melting away any traces of ice. Due to the VFR conditions on top and the possibility of shortening my route I decided to attempt to overfly the higher clouds to the southeast rather than my backup route to the north over the upper peninsula of the State. [While doing so] I made slight heading changes to the right and left of course throughout the climb to ensure that I did not maneuver into an area of clouds that I would not be able to escape from. I remained on the top side of the clouds while occasionally passing through small transparent accumulations that did not appear to pose any icing threat or block my view of the sun. While climbing through 13;000 FT I experienced a sudden thud; vibration; and loss in power. I initiated a rapid descent to increase indicated airspeed and began a turn for lower clouds while I attempted to verify the problem. ATC immediately queried me. I advised of my loss in power and indicated that I would probably need a vector to landing. ATC immediately responded with emergency inquiries; however I was unable to give clear and concise answers as my immediate concern was restoring power and remaining above the clouds. I first began trouble shooting the engine as the vibration caused me to suspect icing on my prop. I soon realized that my landing gear was down and locked. I overrode my emergency gear extension system and waited for my landing gear to retract. I was then able to reestablish a climb and remain above the clouds. I resumed my normal procedures for high altitude climbs; increasing airspeed and sacrificing airspeed for altitude. I then began verifying the reliability of all my systems; including a query to ATC to verify my altitude encoder. Upon verifying the successful operation of all my systems I notified ATC that I had restored full control of the airplane and felt that my best option was to continue to my destination where the weather was completely clear. I also requested a block altitude to allow me to obtain a better view over the higher clouds that I was paralleling. Another factor was that it can be difficult to maintain high altitudes without a turbocharger; therefore the block altitude allowed me to use thermal activity to my advantage and maintain the highest possible margin above the clouds. Additionally; the cold temperatures were causing lower density altitudes making it easier to breath without oxygen. Due to the possibility of unseen ice or other complications on the aircraft I remained at high altitude beyond oxygen requirements. My passenger and I were alert and challenging each other. Also; we decided to use our block altitude to attempt additional climbs; just for the purpose of verifying excess engine power. We felt that it was best to maintain altitude until ATC requested otherwise. We completed the flight without flaps and made approach at higher than normal airspeed just because. An inspection after landing revealed no hidden airframe icing.I believe my advanced understanding of aeronautical principals resulted in a successful flight marked by excessive precautions. However; it did reveal a significant deficiency in my training and the training that I give to my students in the Piper Arrow. High altitude flight is a plausible and legitimate backup when flying the PA28R. However; most flight time is spent below 10;000 FT due to improved engine performance. Therefore; most of my high altitude flight hours were training or mountain crossing. Despite the fact that high altitude climbs utilize reduced indicated air speeds there is no standardized training for unexpected gearextension at high altitude. Had I practiced gear extensions at high altitude I would have been able to identify the conditions as normal rather than marking the reminder of my flight with excessive precautions.Additionally; I believe ATC provided a stunning performance; offering alternate destinations and headings long before I was able to begin a flight to landing. I wish that I could have provided better information to ATC sooner; however I quickly realized that I was not helping the controller by offering updates while I was troubleshooting the aircraft. I can only imagine the fear that gripped the Controller; as I feared for my life. Had I not identified my power loss as an increase in drag; I could have died in the clouds.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.