Incident
A pilot encountered a total electrical failure after takeoff, leading to a forced landing on a snow-covered street. The aircraft sustained damage upon striking a dirt bank at the end of the street.
Sequence of Events
The pilot was unable to start the engines using the batteries and resorted to using an auxiliary power unit (APU) for engine start. Approximately 10 minutes after takeoff, the pilot noticed an OFF flag on the horizontal situation indicator (HSI). Further checks revealed that the left alternator was not functioning. The pilot then checked the circuit breaker panel by feel and pushed in a breaker, at which point a total electrical failure occurred.
Despite the electrical failure, the pilot flew for about 40 minutes using partial panel procedures. Subsequently, the pilot descended through instrument flight rules (IFR) conditions and identified a deserted, snow-covered street, deciding to land there. Before the descent, the aircraft had accumulated some ice. Due to the lack of pitot heat, the pitot tube had iced over, rendering the airspeed indicator inoperative. Additionally, the electrical failure prevented the pilot from extending the flaps.
During the landing, the pilot was unable to stop the aircraft before reaching the end of the snow-covered street. The aircraft struck a dirt bank and was damaged.
Findings
An examination of the aircraft revealed a loose connection on the left alternator, which shorted across the brush leads. On the right alternator, the 'Y' connection was burnt, with two wires burnt off.