("tony roberts" wrote)
[snips]
When I read your report I was very suprised to read that all of your
preliminary steps - after discovering the problem, did not even consider
carb ice. I believe that carb ice is exactly what you had.

In my part of the world the procedure for those symptoms is -
Best Glide
Find landing area
Carb Heat
Briefing
Cause check
Radio
Act accordingly


I was surprised that the OP turned around to make an airport he didn't think
he could make - if the rough running engine quit. I mean ....GATORS!!!

(The swamp flight)
Efficiently, he ascertained our position and vectored me to the Dade-Collier
airport, which is in the middle of nowhere. Ironically, so were we! The
strip was 17 miles to our southwest, which is farther than a dead engine
would take me. We had been heading due north to a safe landing point on
I75
when ATC advised us to turn our backs on the hwy and return south. In my
heart, we turned away from solid ground to face only swamp again. I
decided
to trust fate and the ATC controller as I asked the alligators to gift me
the extra minutes of engine power needed to make the airport.


I guess I was overly fixated (on the very real possibility) of the OP being
grabbed, rolled, then stuffed under a submerged log by a giant 30 ft long
alligator. Chomp, chomp, chomp. Right about then, having your plane run over
by a Peterbilt must sound like a pretty good plan B!!

Anyway that was my armchair thought (reaction) when I first read the report.
Am interested to learn what it was that caused the engine(s) to act up?


Montblack