Incident Overview
On April 15, 2016, a Cessna 172 aircraft departed from EPBC en route to EPWR. After approximately fifteen minutes of flight, the Warsaw FIS controller observed the aircraft turning back toward the departure airport. The pilot subsequently established radio communication and reported that due to issues with the electrical system, a decision had been made to return to the departure airport. The pilot did not declare an emergency. The landing was completed without incident.
Flight Details
According to information obtained from the pilot, after the electrical system problems occurred, the pilot performed the actions specified in the aircraft's flight manual (AFM). These actions restored the system's normal operation. Nevertheless, as a precaution, the pilot decided to abort the flight and return to the departure airport.
Findings
Following the incident, maintenance personnel inspected the electrical system, checking connections, wire chafing, and the condition of circuit breakers. During an engine run and subsequent operation, the electrical system problems did not recur.
The investigation was conducted by the operator. The final report was issued on May 4, 2016, and no safety recommendations were formulated.
Cause
The investigation determined that the incident was caused by disturbances in the electrical system operation, the causes of which could not be identified.