Date: 201602
Local time of day: 1801-2400
Location: ZZZ.ARTCC, US
Light: Night
Aircraft: Small Aircraft; High Wing; 1 Eng; Fixed Gear
Flight plan: VFR
Flight phase: Cruise
Airspace: Class E ZZZ
ATC / advisory: Center ZZZ
Reporter organization: Government
Reporter function: Enroute
Reporter qualification: Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Human factors: Time Pressure; Distraction; Situational Awareness; Communication Breakdown
Anomaly: ATC Issue All Types; Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Airspace Violation All Types; Deviation - Track / Heading All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor
Detector: Person Air Traffic Control
When detected: In-flight
Result: Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification
Contributing factors: Aircraft; Procedure; Weather
Primary problem: Aircraft

Narrative: Approach called and said they have an emergency aircraft in my airspace; smoke in the cockpit. Just letting me know. A few minutes later they called back and said I needed to talk to the aircraft because he needed the closest airport and they couldn't really help him because of his position. Aircraft X checked on; said he had low oil pressure. Approach gave me a pretty good position report. I asked him to squawk a code; he only idented.He said he was IFR. I treated him like IFR and cleared him to ZZZ via radar vectors and descend to 051. He had a hard time following the heading to ZZZ. Once he crossed the 051 Minimum IFR Altitude (MIA) I descended him to the next MIA; 042. Shortly after I gave him this altitude he made a big turn to the south re-entering the 051MIA; I gave him a Low Altitude alert and asked him to turn back to the north to get away from that line; he gave me about a 90 degree turn. Around this time; I believe; he asked me to write down a cell number. It took me three transmissions to understand what he was asking.After observing another turn off course; I decided the pilot was having a hard time keeping his heading because he was having a hard time seeing his instruments and flying the plane. I decided the best course of action was to not over stress the pilot with too many questions. He asked for the ceiling at ZZZ; we can't receive the weather there so the D-side called Approach for the weather. The supervisor called the CWSU [Center Weather Service Unit] and they gave an estimated ceiling between 2;500 and 3;000. At this point I made the decision to descend him below the MIA. I gave him a descent to 025; I thought that was about 1;000 AGL. I never called low altitude alert. We lost radar on him about 4.5 miles SE of the airport. I kept getting altitude reports from him. I asked if he could see the airport; fields or roads; he said 'No; it was hard to see'.  He reported at about 027 he broke out of clouds; still couldn't see the airport. Eventually he did and said downwind landing not sure if he would make the field. He did and landed safe. It would have been helpful to be able to pull up the ZZZ; ZZZ1 or the ZZZ2 AWOS in En Route Automaton Modernization (ERAM).




Synopsis: A Center Controller reported of an aircraft that was handed off from approach control that was an emergency. The Controller vectored aircraft to the destination. Along the way the aircraft was given an altitude and heading to maintain. Given a lower altitude the aircraft turned into a higher MVA. A low altitude alert was issued. The pilot could not see due to clouds and an oil and smoke issue. The pilot got aircraft turned around and descend through clouds; found destination and landed.