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M20J pilot reported probable prop governor problem resulting in an oil leak that coated the windshield.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1096590 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201306 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201-1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | M-20 J (201) / Allegro |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | Cruise |
| Route In Use | None |
| Flight Plan | None |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Engine |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Pilot Flying Single Pilot |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Instrument Flight Crew Private |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 4 Flight Crew Total 216 Flight Crew Type 7 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor |
Narrative:
During cruise my passenger noticed smoke in the cockpit. I immediately saw oil spraying on the windshield. Within 20 seconds most forward visibility had been lost. I identified a possible forced landing site on the nearby beach in the event the engine failed completely or caught fire. The engine oil temperature [and] pressure; as well as the chts looked good; so I decided to attempt to make it back to [departure airport.] I declared an emergency on 121.5 and received no response; so I re-declared the emergency with TRACON. The remainder of the flight proceeded without incident and I was able to land safely and taxi to the ramp on my own power.on the ground it was clear that a substantial amount of oil had coated the windshield and horizontal stabilizer. Oil continued to leak around the exhaust. I suspect the oil contacting hot exhaust parts may have caused the initial smoke. I'd guess that the likely cause of the oil was related to the prop governor; which had earlier been showing signs of unstable RPM; oscillating about +/- 50 RPM from the desired setting. I should have recognized this deviation as a sign of a potential problem with the prop governor rather than normal slop.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: M20J pilot reported probable prop governor problem resulting in an oil leak that coated the windshield.
Narrative: During cruise my passenger noticed smoke in the cockpit. I immediately saw oil spraying on the windshield. Within 20 seconds most forward visibility had been lost. I identified a possible forced landing site on the nearby beach in the event the engine failed completely or caught fire. The engine oil temperature [and] pressure; as well as the CHTs looked good; so I decided to attempt to make it back to [departure airport.] I declared an emergency on 121.5 and received no response; so I re-declared the emergency with TRACON. The remainder of the flight proceeded without incident and I was able to land safely and taxi to the ramp on my own power.On the ground it was clear that a substantial amount of oil had coated the windshield and horizontal stabilizer. Oil continued to leak around the exhaust. I suspect the oil contacting hot exhaust parts may have caused the initial smoke. I'd guess that the likely cause of the oil was related to the prop governor; which had earlier been showing signs of unstable RPM; oscillating about +/- 50 RPM from the desired setting. I should have recognized this deviation as a sign of a potential problem with the prop governor rather than normal slop.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 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.