SMA X EMER. ACFT EQUIP PROB. ELECTRICAL LOSS OF COM.

Narrative

SMA X WHILE FLYING BTWN ATHENS AND BATTLE CREEK; THE ACFT APPARENTLY HAD WIRES BURN AS PLT SMELLED STRONG ODOR OF BURNING AND IMMEDIATELY SHUT THE MASTER SWITCH OFF AND THEN THE BURNING ODOR DECREASED. CHKING OF EQUIP REVEALED A TOTAL ELECTRICAL FAILURE: NO RADIOS; LIGHTS; FLAPS OR ANYTHING ELECTRICAL. BECAUSE BATTLE CREEK KELLOGG ARPT HAS EMER EQUIP AND AN FAA CTL TWR TO SUMMON WHAT IS NEEDED AS WELL AS LONG RWYS FOR A NO-FLAP LNDG; IT WAS DECIDED TO GO THERE RATHER THAN TO ATTEMPT LNDG AT SHORTER FIELDS WITH NO EMER SVCS SUCH AS CRASH RESCUE. UNDERSTAND THAT THE PLT HAD NO IDEA WHAT HAD ACTUALLY BURNED OR IF IT WOULD START AGAIN. PLT ENTERED TFC PATTERN FOR RWY 23 ABOUT 200 FT HIGHER THAN THE PATTERN ALT TO AVOID CONFLICT IF OTHER TFC AND THEN PROCEEDED TO FLY THE PATTERN AND ROCKED ACFT WINGS TO ATTRACT THE ATTN OF THE CTLRS WHILE MAINTAINING ALT AND NOT DSNDING. ALL THE TIME PLT WATCHING TWR FOR A LIGHT SIGNAL AND NOT RECEIVING ANY. AFTER 1 CIRCUIT OF THE PATTERN PLT OBSERVED 2 MIL FGT'S APCHING THE FIELD AND EXTENDED THE DOWNWIND LEG AND REMAINED CLR. SUBSEQUENTLY; 2 MORE FGT'S APCHED AND PLT REMAINED CLR AGAIN; THEN OBSERVED A FLT OF 6 FGT'S APCHING SO PLT LEFT THE AREA OF THE ARPT AND CIRCLED TO THE E OVER BATTLE CREEK UNTIL THE FGT'S HAD LANDED. PLT RETURNED AND ENTERED THE DOWNWIND LEG AT MID- FIELD AND THEN OBSERVED A RED LIGHT FROM THE CTL TWR BRIEFLY SO CONTINUED IN PATTERN AND THEN RECEIVED A GREEN LIGHT AND PROCEEDED TO LAND. (IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT ON 1 CIRCUIT OF THE PATTERN I OBSERVED A SMALL PLANE SITTING IN TKOF POS ON THE END OF RWY 23.) PLT TELEPHONED THE CTL TWR UPON ENG SHUTDOWN AND FOUND THAT THE CTLR ON PHONE WAS UPSET AND WAS TOLD THAT PLT SHOULD HAVE GONE TO ANOTHER FIELD LIKE MARSHALL OR ATHENS AND THEN PHONED IN AND NOT TRY TO LAND AT BATTLE CREEK AS THEY WERE VERY BUSY. AT NO TIME WAS THE CTLR APPARENTLY INTERESTED IN HEARING THAT I WAS UNABLE TO DECLARE AN EMER BECAUSE OF THE RADIO FAILURE AND THAT IT WAS NOT JUST A RADIO FAILURE PROB. I ASKED HIM WHAT HAPPENED TO THE RULE THAT WOULD LET A PLANE WITHOUT RADIO CIRCLE THE FIELD UNTIL RECEIVING LIGHT SIGNALS BUT HE WENT BACK TO THE 'WE ARE BUSY' AND THAT 'THEY HAD PLANES STACKED UP FOR 10 MI.' (ONE OF MY FELLOW PLTS WAS IN A PLANE WAITING ON THE GND FOR TKOF AND ALL HE SAW WAS A LONG WAIT FOR THE FGT'S TO ALL LAND. HE DID HEAR THE TWR SAY SOMETHING ABOUT; 'WHAT'S THAT GUY DOING UP THERE?) I CAN ONLY SAY THAT I DID ALL I COULD TO PROPERLY ATTRACT TWR ATTN AND ROCKED MY WINGS (BIG WING ROCKING) ON EACH FLY-BY IN EACH DIRECTION.