When Good Cylinders Go Bad (Pic Posted to alt.binaries.pictures.aviation)

Go on over to see a cylinder head and piston off of a P&W 1830 after the
exhaust valve broke off part way up the valve stem (that's what made the big
hole through the piston). The a/c landed safely and no one was hurt - I
can't say more than that per the request of the a/c owner.

The exhaust valve and stem was recovered nearly intact. It was the poor
intact valve that really got tore up, though the stem stayed in place.

You'll notice the cylinder head is cracked in two, not cut open. As they
were removing the plug wires and other bits the two halves fell away from
the cylinder like a coconut split by a machete.

Steve "El Roto" Genotte

P.S. It's good to be back