Close call

[azure]

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean you're not going to get a cracked cylinder over water at 400AGL.

No, but unless you spend a lot of time over water at 400 AGL, the cracked cylinder is much more likely to happen somewhere else, if ever.

 

[orange]

I will speak to the mechanics and report what I find out.

Thanks everybody for taking the time to read and advise. Like I said, I learned a lot from the experience and your comments about landing ASAP and about telling and not asking ATC. If I had to do it over, I'd have declared and headed directly for JFK. I realize that I probably got very lucky that it held together for 13 nm to get back to my home airport.

 

[455 Bravo Uniform]

Thanks for sharing, I've learned from it.

I wonder if the long ground time caused a cylinder head issue to show up? (Since you said a head was found cracked).

 

[TommyG]

The most important thing is you stayed calm and collected during the flight, when you needed to be. Afterwards on the ground you can wobbly knees, puke your brains out whatever. Good job. Especially with all the Long Island situations lately.

 

[weilke]

If I had to do it over, I'd have declared and headed directly for JFK. I realize that I probably got very lucky that it held together for 13 nm to get back to my home airport.

Your flight school/FBO would have been perfectly fine with this. They certainly prefer fixing a plane on the city ramp at JFK over trucking it from the beach or collecting the pieces after a crash in Elmont.

 

[wsuffa]

Curious, would the EGT register very low? And CHT probably too? (never had a cracked cylinder, willing to learn - not that I am inviting it!)

Depends on where the crack is & how big it is. Most importantly, you should see significant & rapid change in the temp readings, most likely downward. If the crack is big enough, most likely the temps would act as if a cylinder is not firing - which would be a reduction in both temps.