Narrative:

About 5-8 NM west of airport (kbdr) the engine of my small aircraft began to run rough, as if it was coughing. I was cruising at 4000 MSL, full power. I went through emergency procedures and since the problem didn't get fixed, knowing I was close to bridgeport I turned around, declared an emergency and radioed in my intentions to land to new york approach. The tower radioed the latest ATIS. I told them I was landing on runway 6 the closest runway to where I was. Their response was that if I could I should circle around to land on the runway that was currently in use. (I don't recall which one). I replied I was landing on 6. 3 people drove up to my plane, 2 uniformed personnel and one who was obviously the head of the rescue team. They took down my name, address, telephone number, certificate number, plane's north number. I went to the nearest FBO to see if they had a mechanic on duty. Since it was sunday there wasn't one around. I then called an instructor friend and after speaking to him and a number of other pilots I determined that the cause of the engine roughness was more than likely carburetor ice. I drained fuel out of both tanks, then did a high speed runup, both mags, then each one separately, carburetor heat on and then off. There was no water and no engine roughness. I then called my mechanic again. He was still not home. After a time my mechanic called and I explained in detail what had happened. He told me to check the plane out again with another fuel drain, high speed runup, both mags and carburetor heat on and if everything checked out he was certain that it was more than likely carburetor icing. I went back and checked the fuel again, checked the oil, and then did the 3 more high speed runups, both mags and carburetor heat on. The engine was running smoothly. Feeling absolutely sure that everything was fine and that I was not test flying the airplane, I proceeded with normal procedures for departing the airport VFR. After doing a normal runup like I usually do just before taking off, I contacted the airport and when they cleared me to taxi to the numbers and hold, I announced my intentions to circle the airport up to 6000 MSL. They acknowledged. On the takeoff roll at full power the engine sounded normal. Oil pressure and fuel pressure were normal. But as soon as I lifted the nose up, the engine began to run rough, so I aborted the takeoff. I told tower that the engine was running rough. They asked if I had had a mechanic check it out. I told them I had talked to my mechanic, checked out the plane myself and I had then determined the plane was safe to fly. The tower told me that in their opinion it was a bad judgement on my part since if the engine had started running rough when I was in the air it would have been another emergency landing and they informed me that they were going to write me up for reckless flying. Looking at the situation with 20/20 hindsight, I would have not attempted the takeoff which caused the aborted takeoff. When the engine originally began to run rough (at 4000 ft) and I went through the emergency procedures, I had forgotten to turn on the carburetor heat, and if I had done that perhaps the engines' reaction would have indicated something that I didn't know. But as I said above, after doing the ground checks there was no indication that the engine would not perform correctly. And yes, should there be a next time, thorough check before attempting to fly the plane. But I do not feel I was at any point operating recklessly.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA ABORTED TKOF AFTER AN EMER LNDG. ACFT EQUIP PROBLEM.

Narrative: ABOUT 5-8 NM W OF ARPT (KBDR) THE ENG OF MY SMA BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH, AS IF IT WAS COUGHING. I WAS CRUISING AT 4000 MSL, FULL PWR. I WENT THROUGH EMER PROCS AND SINCE THE PROBLEM DIDN'T GET FIXED, KNOWING I WAS CLOSE TO BRIDGEPORT I TURNED AROUND, DECLARED AN EMER AND RADIOED IN MY INTENTIONS TO LAND TO NEW YORK APCH. THE TWR RADIOED THE LATEST ATIS. I TOLD THEM I WAS LNDG ON RWY 6 THE CLOSEST RWY TO WHERE I WAS. THEIR RESPONSE WAS THAT IF I COULD I SHOULD CIRCLE AROUND TO LAND ON THE RWY THAT WAS CURRENTLY IN USE. (I DON'T RECALL WHICH ONE). I REPLIED I WAS LNDG ON 6. 3 PEOPLE DROVE UP TO MY PLANE, 2 UNIFORMED PERSONNEL AND ONE WHO WAS OBVIOUSLY THE HEAD OF THE RESCUE TEAM. THEY TOOK DOWN MY NAME, ADDRESS, TELEPHONE NUMBER, CERTIFICATE NUMBER, PLANE'S N NUMBER. I WENT TO THE NEAREST FBO TO SEE IF THEY HAD A MECH ON DUTY. SINCE IT WAS SUNDAY THERE WASN'T ONE AROUND. I THEN CALLED AN INSTRUCTOR FRIEND AND AFTER SPEAKING TO HIM AND A NUMBER OF OTHER PLTS I DETERMINED THAT THE CAUSE OF THE ENG ROUGHNESS WAS MORE THAN LIKELY CARB ICE. I DRAINED FUEL OUT OF BOTH TANKS, THEN DID A HIGH SPD RUNUP, BOTH MAGS, THEN EACH ONE SEPARATELY, CARB HEAT ON AND THEN OFF. THERE WAS NO WATER AND NO ENG ROUGHNESS. I THEN CALLED MY MECH AGAIN. HE WAS STILL NOT HOME. AFTER A TIME MY MECH CALLED AND I EXPLAINED IN DETAIL WHAT HAD HAPPENED. HE TOLD ME TO CHK THE PLANE OUT AGAIN WITH ANOTHER FUEL DRAIN, HIGH SPD RUNUP, BOTH MAGS AND CARB HEAT ON AND IF EVERYTHING CHKED OUT HE WAS CERTAIN THAT IT WAS MORE THAN LIKELY CARB ICING. I WENT BACK AND CHKED THE FUEL AGAIN, CHKED THE OIL, AND THEN DID THE 3 MORE HIGH SPD RUNUPS, BOTH MAGS AND CARB HEAT ON. THE ENG WAS RUNNING SMOOTHLY. FEELING ABSOLUTELY SURE THAT EVERYTHING WAS FINE AND THAT I WAS NOT TEST FLYING THE AIRPLANE, I PROCEEDED WITH NORMAL PROCS FOR DEPARTING THE ARPT VFR. AFTER DOING A NORMAL RUNUP LIKE I USUALLY DO JUST BEFORE TAKING OFF, I CONTACTED THE ARPT AND WHEN THEY CLRED ME TO TAXI TO THE NUMBERS AND HOLD, I ANNOUNCED MY INTENTIONS TO CIRCLE THE ARPT UP TO 6000 MSL. THEY ACKNOWLEDGED. ON THE TKOF ROLL AT FULL PWR THE ENG SOUNDED NORMAL. OIL PRESSURE AND FUEL PRESSURE WERE NORMAL. BUT AS SOON AS I LIFTED THE NOSE UP, THE ENG BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH, SO I ABORTED THE TKOF. I TOLD TWR THAT THE ENG WAS RUNNING ROUGH. THEY ASKED IF I HAD HAD A MECH CHK IT OUT. I TOLD THEM I HAD TALKED TO MY MECH, CHKED OUT THE PLANE MYSELF AND I HAD THEN DETERMINED THE PLANE WAS SAFE TO FLY. THE TWR TOLD ME THAT IN THEIR OPINION IT WAS A BAD JUDGEMENT ON MY PART SINCE IF THE ENG HAD STARTED RUNNING ROUGH WHEN I WAS IN THE AIR IT WOULD HAVE BEEN ANOTHER EMER LNDG AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT THEY WERE GOING TO WRITE ME UP FOR RECKLESS FLYING. LOOKING AT THE SITUATION WITH 20/20 HINDSIGHT, I WOULD HAVE NOT ATTEMPTED THE TKOF WHICH CAUSED THE ABORTED TKOF. WHEN THE ENG ORIGINALLY BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH (AT 4000 FT) AND I WENT THROUGH THE EMER PROCS, I HAD FORGOTTEN TO TURN ON THE CARB HEAT, AND IF I HAD DONE THAT PERHAPS THE ENGS' REACTION WOULD HAVE INDICATED SOMETHING THAT I DIDN'T KNOW. BUT AS I SAID ABOVE, AFTER DOING THE GND CHKS THERE WAS NO INDICATION THAT THE ENG WOULD NOT PERFORM CORRECTLY. AND YES, SHOULD THERE BE A NEXT TIME, THOROUGH CHK BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO FLY THE PLANE. BUT I DO NOT FEEL I WAS AT ANY POINT OPERATING RECKLESSLY.

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.