Narrative:

I was returning home from white plains, ny, on a business trip flying at 5500 ft MSL on VFR flight plan, working with bdl approach for flight following. Cruising at 65% power, I suddenly felt a stinging sensation in my eyes. After rubbing my eyes to relieve them, I noticed that everything seemed to appear to have a uniform gray haze over it inside the cockpit. I first assumed something was wrong with my eyes and I rubbed them again. Nothing changed. Then I realized I had what appeared to be smoke in the cockpit. I checked all engine instruments, fuel system, electrical system, and could find nothing wrong. I looked at both engine nacelles and noticed a faint white trail of what appeared to be smoke coming off the trailing edge of the left wing behind the nacelle. I again examined all the gauges for evidence of a fire or some other cause. All indications were normal. I continued to watch the left nacelle, and the smoke or vapor trail got heavier and thicker. I notified approach that I may have an engine fire, and requested vectors to the nearest suitable airport for a single engine landing. The controller gave me vectors for barnes municipal, westfield, ma. The smoke vapor trail continued and seemed to increase, so I shut down and secured the left engine. The vapor/smoke continued to burn my eyes and throat. I was concerned that if I did not land, the problem could get so bad I might be overcome with the fumes and lose control of the aircraft. The right engine only landing went fine. Up until left engine shutdown, both engines were running fine, and no other problems were idented. After shutdown on the ramp, the crash crew examined the inside of the left engine nacelle. They found a small amount of oil in the bottom of the nacelle which they thought was the cause of the smoke. However, I believe the small amount of oil was probably overspill from adding oil. There were no indications or traces of soot or abnormal combustion. I do not believe that small oil spillage was the cause. Back at home base, the mechanics who maintain the aircraft took it apart and searched for the problem. They could find no evidence of a fire or other apparent source of the fumes. I remain very concerned about the airworthiness of the aircraft after this incident. I have more than 100 hours in this aircraft, and it is a great airplane, well maintained. But this incident of smoke/fumes/vapor remains a mystery. I will not feel comfortable flying the aircraft until a cause is found and corrected. I flew back to home base in a single engine aircraft that evening, not feeling confident in the airworthiness of the PA30, despite the absence of an apparent cause of the smoke/fumes/vapor. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter recalls that the odor that permeated the cockpit was very caustic, a strange odor. He had trouble speaking with the controller because of the toxic effect it had on him. After he arrived home, he called a mr xy, a twin commanche 'expert' from the east. He suggested a thorough check of all the oil lines, which was done. After negative findings there, the mechanic then took the cowling and engine apart. Wedged between cylinders 3 and 4, the hottest part of the engine, he found seared body parts of what was left of a bird. With this information the reporter called the 'expert' back and the problem of the toxic fumes was resolved. Mr xy stated that the twin commanche was a very clean design, one that had a special air stream around the fuselage that actually reduced pressure within the cabin during flight. The roasting process of the bird and the forward motion of the aircraft, allowed the fumes to enter the wing area through the engine firewall, into the wing and then from the wing root into the fuselage. When asked if he was now going to obtain a smoke mask, the reporter said 'no,' that the odds of this happening again were too illogical to consider.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PA30 PLT DIVERTS TO WESTFIELD, MA, AFTER ASKING FOR ASSISTANCE FROM BDL APCH CTLR. #1 ENG TRAILING LIGHT SMOKE WITH EYE STINGING SMOKE IN COCKPIT. A POSTFLT CHK REVEALED NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY.

Narrative: I WAS RETURNING HOME FROM WHITE PLAINS, NY, ON A BUSINESS TRIP FLYING AT 5500 FT MSL ON VFR FLT PLAN, WORKING WITH BDL APCH FOR FLT FOLLOWING. CRUISING AT 65% PWR, I SUDDENLY FELT A STINGING SENSATION IN MY EYES. AFTER RUBBING MY EYES TO RELIEVE THEM, I NOTICED THAT EVERYTHING SEEMED TO APPEAR TO HAVE A UNIFORM GRAY HAZE OVER IT INSIDE THE COCKPIT. I FIRST ASSUMED SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH MY EYES AND I RUBBED THEM AGAIN. NOTHING CHANGED. THEN I REALIZED I HAD WHAT APPEARED TO BE SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT. I CHKED ALL ENG INSTS, FUEL SYS, ELECTRICAL SYS, AND COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG. I LOOKED AT BOTH ENG NACELLES AND NOTICED A FAINT WHITE TRAIL OF WHAT APPEARED TO BE SMOKE COMING OFF THE TRAILING EDGE OF THE L WING BEHIND THE NACELLE. I AGAIN EXAMINED ALL THE GAUGES FOR EVIDENCE OF A FIRE OR SOME OTHER CAUSE. ALL INDICATIONS WERE NORMAL. I CONTINUED TO WATCH THE L NACELLE, AND THE SMOKE OR VAPOR TRAIL GOT HEAVIER AND THICKER. I NOTIFIED APCH THAT I MAY HAVE AN ENG FIRE, AND REQUESTED VECTORS TO THE NEAREST SUITABLE ARPT FOR A SINGLE ENG LNDG. THE CTLR GAVE ME VECTORS FOR BARNES MUNICIPAL, WESTFIELD, MA. THE SMOKE VAPOR TRAIL CONTINUED AND SEEMED TO INCREASE, SO I SHUT DOWN AND SECURED THE L ENG. THE VAPOR/SMOKE CONTINUED TO BURN MY EYES AND THROAT. I WAS CONCERNED THAT IF I DID NOT LAND, THE PROB COULD GET SO BAD I MIGHT BE OVERCOME WITH THE FUMES AND LOSE CTL OF THE ACFT. THE R ENG ONLY LNDG WENT FINE. UP UNTIL L ENG SHUTDOWN, BOTH ENGS WERE RUNNING FINE, AND NO OTHER PROBS WERE IDENTED. AFTER SHUTDOWN ON THE RAMP, THE CRASH CREW EXAMINED THE INSIDE OF THE L ENG NACELLE. THEY FOUND A SMALL AMOUNT OF OIL IN THE BOTTOM OF THE NACELLE WHICH THEY THOUGHT WAS THE CAUSE OF THE SMOKE. HOWEVER, I BELIEVE THE SMALL AMOUNT OF OIL WAS PROBABLY OVERSPILL FROM ADDING OIL. THERE WERE NO INDICATIONS OR TRACES OF SOOT OR ABNORMAL COMBUSTION. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT SMALL OIL SPILLAGE WAS THE CAUSE. BACK AT HOME BASE, THE MECHS WHO MAINTAIN THE ACFT TOOK IT APART AND SEARCHED FOR THE PROB. THEY COULD FIND NO EVIDENCE OF A FIRE OR OTHER APPARENT SOURCE OF THE FUMES. I REMAIN VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE AIRWORTHINESS OF THE ACFT AFTER THIS INCIDENT. I HAVE MORE THAN 100 HRS IN THIS ACFT, AND IT IS A GREAT AIRPLANE, WELL MAINTAINED. BUT THIS INCIDENT OF SMOKE/FUMES/VAPOR REMAINS A MYSTERY. I WILL NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE FLYING THE ACFT UNTIL A CAUSE IS FOUND AND CORRECTED. I FLEW BACK TO HOME BASE IN A SINGLE ENG ACFT THAT EVENING, NOT FEELING CONFIDENT IN THE AIRWORTHINESS OF THE PA30, DESPITE THE ABSENCE OF AN APPARENT CAUSE OF THE SMOKE/FUMES/VAPOR. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR RECALLS THAT THE ODOR THAT PERMEATED THE COCKPIT WAS VERY CAUSTIC, A STRANGE ODOR. HE HAD TROUBLE SPEAKING WITH THE CTLR BECAUSE OF THE TOXIC EFFECT IT HAD ON HIM. AFTER HE ARRIVED HOME, HE CALLED A MR XY, A TWIN COMMANCHE 'EXPERT' FROM THE EAST. HE SUGGESTED A THOROUGH CHK OF ALL THE OIL LINES, WHICH WAS DONE. AFTER NEGATIVE FINDINGS THERE, THE MECH THEN TOOK THE COWLING AND ENG APART. WEDGED BTWN CYLINDERS 3 AND 4, THE HOTTEST PART OF THE ENG, HE FOUND SEARED BODY PARTS OF WHAT WAS LEFT OF A BIRD. WITH THIS INFO THE RPTR CALLED THE 'EXPERT' BACK AND THE PROB OF THE TOXIC FUMES WAS RESOLVED. MR XY STATED THAT THE TWIN COMMANCHE WAS A VERY CLEAN DESIGN, ONE THAT HAD A SPECIAL AIR STREAM AROUND THE FUSELAGE THAT ACTUALLY REDUCED PRESSURE WITHIN THE CABIN DURING FLT. THE ROASTING PROCESS OF THE BIRD AND THE FORWARD MOTION OF THE ACFT, ALLOWED THE FUMES TO ENTER THE WING AREA THROUGH THE ENG FIREWALL, INTO THE WING AND THEN FROM THE WING ROOT INTO THE FUSELAGE. WHEN ASKED IF HE WAS NOW GOING TO OBTAIN A SMOKE MASK, THE RPTR SAID 'NO,' THAT THE ODDS OF THIS HAPPENING AGAIN WERE TOO ILLOGICAL TO CONSIDER.

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.