Narrative:

This is a report on a partial power loss on jun/xx/96 in a C172 I was flying at holmen field in st paul, mn. I am a student pilot with 80 hours, very close to my check ride. At about XA45 jun/sun/96, was returning from solo flying, having practiced maneuvers in the practice area, and soft field lndgs and takeoffs at lake elmo (21D) airport. Power was normal during practice, as was everything else. St paul ATIS reported winds from 250 degrees at 7 KTS. ATC at st paul asked me to report a straight in 4 mi final for runway 26 for my touch and go, which I did. Everything was normal on the approach. I touched down, retracted flaps, turned off carburetor heat and applied full power. As the plane rotated I encountered some turbulence and immediately realized the plane was not climbing correctly. Airspeed was too low, barely above 60 KTS, and power was less than 2100 rpms. I checked the control settings and could find nothing wrong. I kept the nose down to gain airspeed. Within a few more seconds I informed ATC that I needed to return to the field as soon as possible. The controller cleared the field and gave me my choice of runways. When I had gained about 500 ft I returned to the field. I was closest to runway 8, so I headed for that and prepared for landing. But a strong tailwind and high airspeed dictated a go around. The controller calmly kept the airport clear while I headed for a different runway. I still couldn't get full power. At least I was no longer over a congested area of st paul. I hoped to make my next turns over the mississippi river, away from people or buildings. As I slowly climbed out, still with about 2000 rpms, power returned and airspeed increased. I turned right toward runway 30 and made my approach. I powered down, but still came in fairly fast. I had 10 degrees of flaps deployed for landing. It was a rough landing. I had to struggle to keep the plane under control. The plane bounced, skidded and tipped to the right. There was a propeller strike, which surely happened before I got the plane under control, however, I didn't hear or feel anything. I turned right on the first taxiway, cleared the runway, stopped, and went over the after landing checklist. I retracted flaps, pushed in the carburetor heat and called ground as instructed. The controller on duty gave me excellent assistance, for which I am grateful. I accompanied my instructor when he went to runup the engine after I had shut down. We didn't find anything unusual. During my runup at about XA30 before my departure, the right magneto had run rough. That was the only out-of-the-ordinary thing that happened in preflight, runup, takeoffs, lndgs or practice until the touch-and-go at holmen at XB45. The problem was probably carburetor ice. Speculation at my pilot school also includes water in the fuel line, a fouled plug, or something unknown. The small dewpoint-temperature spread points toward carburetor ice. The plane is still being serviced, but nothing new has been discovered. What did I learn? That you can't learn your emergency procedures too well, or review them too often. You won't always have time to pick up a checklist. I was too close to the ground to take my hands off the controls or my eyes off the runways for very long. I also learned that it ain't over till it's over. I was so happy to make it around to runway 30 under something like control that I breathed a sigh of relief before I landed safely -- and then had a rough landing. Since this incident, I've had one lesson with my instructor. The FAA says I can't fly solo until I've flown with the chief instructor at my school. I certainly can't argue with such a prudent course of action, and am in fact looking forward to his observations.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: STUDENT OF A CESSNA 172 EXPERIENCED A PARTIAL PWR LOSS ON INITIAL CLB AFTER TKOF RESULTING IN RETURNING TO LAND AND A 'HARD BOUNCY LNDG' CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE PROP.

Narrative: THIS IS A RPT ON A PARTIAL PWR LOSS ON JUN/XX/96 IN A C172 I WAS FLYING AT HOLMEN FIELD IN ST PAUL, MN. I AM A STUDENT PLT WITH 80 HRS, VERY CLOSE TO MY CHK RIDE. AT ABOUT XA45 JUN/SUN/96, WAS RETURNING FROM SOLO FLYING, HAVING PRACTICED MANEUVERS IN THE PRACTICE AREA, AND SOFT FIELD LNDGS AND TKOFS AT LAKE ELMO (21D) ARPT. PWR WAS NORMAL DURING PRACTICE, AS WAS EVERYTHING ELSE. ST PAUL ATIS RPTED WINDS FROM 250 DEGS AT 7 KTS. ATC AT ST PAUL ASKED ME TO RPT A STRAIGHT IN 4 MI FINAL FOR RWY 26 FOR MY TOUCH AND GO, WHICH I DID. EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL ON THE APCH. I TOUCHED DOWN, RETRACTED FLAPS, TURNED OFF CARB HEAT AND APPLIED FULL PWR. AS THE PLANE ROTATED I ENCOUNTERED SOME TURB AND IMMEDIATELY REALIZED THE PLANE WAS NOT CLBING CORRECTLY. AIRSPD WAS TOO LOW, BARELY ABOVE 60 KTS, AND PWR WAS LESS THAN 2100 RPMS. I CHKED THE CTL SETTINGS AND COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG. I KEPT THE NOSE DOWN TO GAIN AIRSPD. WITHIN A FEW MORE SECONDS I INFORMED ATC THAT I NEEDED TO RETURN TO THE FIELD AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THE CTLR CLRED THE FIELD AND GAVE ME MY CHOICE OF RWYS. WHEN I HAD GAINED ABOUT 500 FT I RETURNED TO THE FIELD. I WAS CLOSEST TO RWY 8, SO I HEADED FOR THAT AND PREPARED FOR LNDG. BUT A STRONG TAILWIND AND HIGH AIRSPD DICTATED A GAR. THE CTLR CALMLY KEPT THE ARPT CLR WHILE I HEADED FOR A DIFFERENT RWY. I STILL COULDN'T GET FULL PWR. AT LEAST I WAS NO LONGER OVER A CONGESTED AREA OF ST PAUL. I HOPED TO MAKE MY NEXT TURNS OVER THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER, AWAY FROM PEOPLE OR BUILDINGS. AS I SLOWLY CLBED OUT, STILL WITH ABOUT 2000 RPMS, PWR RETURNED AND AIRSPD INCREASED. I TURNED R TOWARD RWY 30 AND MADE MY APCH. I POWERED DOWN, BUT STILL CAME IN FAIRLY FAST. I HAD 10 DEGS OF FLAPS DEPLOYED FOR LNDG. IT WAS A ROUGH LNDG. I HAD TO STRUGGLE TO KEEP THE PLANE UNDER CTL. THE PLANE BOUNCED, SKIDDED AND TIPPED TO THE R. THERE WAS A PROP STRIKE, WHICH SURELY HAPPENED BEFORE I GOT THE PLANE UNDER CTL, HOWEVER, I DIDN'T HEAR OR FEEL ANYTHING. I TURNED R ON THE FIRST TXWY, CLRED THE RWY, STOPPED, AND WENT OVER THE AFTER LNDG CHKLIST. I RETRACTED FLAPS, PUSHED IN THE CARB HEAT AND CALLED GND AS INSTRUCTED. THE CTLR ON DUTY GAVE ME EXCELLENT ASSISTANCE, FOR WHICH I AM GRATEFUL. I ACCOMPANIED MY INSTRUCTOR WHEN HE WENT TO RUNUP THE ENG AFTER I HAD SHUT DOWN. WE DIDN'T FIND ANYTHING UNUSUAL. DURING MY RUNUP AT ABOUT XA30 BEFORE MY DEP, THE R MAGNETO HAD RUN ROUGH. THAT WAS THE ONLY OUT-OF-THE-ORDINARY THING THAT HAPPENED IN PREFLT, RUNUP, TKOFS, LNDGS OR PRACTICE UNTIL THE TOUCH-AND-GO AT HOLMEN AT XB45. THE PROB WAS PROBABLY CARB ICE. SPECULATION AT MY PLT SCHOOL ALSO INCLUDES WATER IN THE FUEL LINE, A FOULED PLUG, OR SOMETHING UNKNOWN. THE SMALL DEWPOINT-TEMP SPREAD POINTS TOWARD CARB ICE. THE PLANE IS STILL BEING SERVICED, BUT NOTHING NEW HAS BEEN DISCOVERED. WHAT DID I LEARN? THAT YOU CAN'T LEARN YOUR EMER PROCS TOO WELL, OR REVIEW THEM TOO OFTEN. YOU WON'T ALWAYS HAVE TIME TO PICK UP A CHKLIST. I WAS TOO CLOSE TO THE GND TO TAKE MY HANDS OFF THE CTLS OR MY EYES OFF THE RWYS FOR VERY LONG. I ALSO LEARNED THAT IT AIN'T OVER TILL IT'S OVER. I WAS SO HAPPY TO MAKE IT AROUND TO RWY 30 UNDER SOMETHING LIKE CTL THAT I BREATHED A SIGH OF RELIEF BEFORE I LANDED SAFELY -- AND THEN HAD A ROUGH LNDG. SINCE THIS INCIDENT, I'VE HAD ONE LESSON WITH MY INSTRUCTOR. THE FAA SAYS I CAN'T FLY SOLO UNTIL I'VE FLOWN WITH THE CHIEF INSTRUCTOR AT MY SCHOOL. I CERTAINLY CAN'T ARGUE WITH SUCH A PRUDENT COURSE OF ACTION, AND AM IN FACT LOOKING FORWARD TO HIS OBSERVATIONS.

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.