What happened
Shortly after departing the airport under instrument meteorological conditions, the aircraft experienced electrical problems that caused the failure of communications, navigation, and most electrical instruments. The pilot continued the flight toward the destination airport, eventually encountering visual meteorological conditions approximately 39 miles northwest of the destination.
Upon entering the traffic pattern at the destination airport, the pilot did not manually lower the landing gear. While on the downwind leg, the pilot attempted to electrically extend the gear. Although the pilot heard the landing gear move into position, the landing gear down light failed to illuminate. During the landing roll-out, the landing gear collapsed.
The investigation
An examination of the aircraft revealed that one of the positive leads on the battery was corroded. Records indicated that a mechanic had performed a 50-hour inspection approximately 37.5 flight hours prior to the accident.