Narrative
Approximately 30 minutes into a flight, while at 10,000 feet, the transponder was reported inoperative by air traffic control. This was followed by a loss of communications and navigation equipment. The pilot was unable to reset either generator and observed that the fuel gauges were reading low. He initiated a descent while still in visual meteorological conditions (VMC) to locate an airport.
During the descent, the fuel gauges indicated progressively lower fuel levels. At 4,000 feet, the main fuel gauges indicated empty. The pilot's hand-held global positioning system (GPS) showed an airport within 6 miles, but concerned about fuel exhaustion, he elected to make an off-airport precautionary landing. The landing gear was manually cranked down. After touchdown, the right landing gear collapsed.
Examination
Post-landing examination revealed the presence of fuel in both the main and auxiliary fuel tanks. The generator belts were tight, and the wiring was properly attached. Calculations indicated that with the electrical system operating solely on battery power, 30 to 40 minutes of flight time at night would discharge the batteries, leading to the electrical failure.
Background
After the initial departure from Newark, the pilot had made an immediate return and landing to replace an oil cap on the right engine. The pilot then departed on this flight. The pilot had accumulated 10 hours of flight time in the Cessna 310.