PRIMARY ELECTRICAL SUPPLY PROB. SMA PLT CONTINUES ON TO DEST USING THE LOST COM PROC.

Narrative

I EXPERIENCED ALTERNATOR FAILURE DUE TO A FAULTY VOLTAGE REGULATOR; AND HAD TO TURN OFF ALL ELECTRICAL EQUIP TO SAVE THE BATTERY. I WAS IN VFR CONDITIONS (CLR) ALL THE WAY TO MY DEST (F54 - ARLINGTON MUNICIPAL ARPT; TX) AND HAD PICKED UP AN IFR FLT PLAN OUT OF CHANUTE; KS. THE FARS STATE THAT THE PLT SHOULD LAND AS SOON AS PRACTICAL IN THIS SIT. IT DID NOT SEEM PRACTICAL TO ME TO LAND MY AIRPLANE AT A SMALL ARPT IN A REMOTE LOCATION WITH FEW IF ANY MAINT FACILITIES AVAILABLE; AND WITH NIGHT RAPIDLY APCHING. I ALSO DID NOT THINK IT PRACTICAL TO LAND AT A VERY BUSY; CTLED ARPT LIKE TULSA WHEN THEY WERE NOT EXPECTING ME AND I WAS UNCERTAIN WHETHER CTR WAS TRACKING ME OR NOT. SO I SQUAWKED 7700 FOR 1 MIN; THEN 7600 FOR 15 MINS; ETC; AND CONTINUED AS CLRED TO MY DEST. I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE DALLAS FT WORTH AREA AND TCA; AND ALTHOUGH I HAD FILED DIRECTLY THROUGH THE TCA; I DSNDED AND STAYED TO THE E AND CLR OF THE TCA ALL THE WAY TO MY DEST. I ALSO TURNED ON MY ROTATING BEACON WHILE IN THE DFW AREA SO THAT OTHER ACFT COULD SEE AND AVOID ME. UPON LNDG; I CALLED CTR; WHO HAD INDEED TRACKED ME ALL THE WAY TO ARLINGTON AND HAD CANCELLED MY IFR FLT PLAN FOR ME. I HANDLED THIS SIT TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE AND JUDGEMENT; BUT THOUGHT IT WOULD BE WISE TO FILE THIS RPT.