PLT OF AN SMA SEL LOST ALL ELECTRICAL SYS AND LANDED AT CTLED ARPT WITHOUT LIGHTS FROM THE TWR.
Synopsis
PLT OF AN SMA SEL LOST ALL ELECTRICAL SYS AND LANDED AT CTLED ARPT WITHOUT LIGHTS FROM THE TWR.
Narrative
WHILE FLYING VFR AT 7500 FT MSL W OF HARRISBURG VOR I NOTICED THAT THE FUEL GAUGES WERE INDICATING LESS THAN THEY SHOULD BE. BELIEVING I MIGHT BE LOSING FUEL; I REVERSED COURSE PLANNING TO LAND AT CARLISLE. ATTEMPTING TO FIX MY POS; I DISCOVERED MY VORS WERE NOT FUNCTIONAL. I THEN DECIDED TO CALL HARRISBURG APCH FOR VECTORS AND DISCOVERED MY RADIOS WERE NOT FUNCTIONING ON ANY FREQ INCLUDING 121.5. AT THIS POINT MY FUEL GAUGES WERE NOW READING 0. HAVING VISUAL LANDMARKS TO HARRISBURG (THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER) I DECIDED TO MAKE AN EMER LNDG AT CAPITAL CITY ARPT (AT THIS POINT AND THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE EVENT; MY BIGGEST CONCERN WAS RUNNING OUT OF FUEL BASED ON THE GAUGE INDICATIONS OF 0). I CHANGED THE XPONDER SQUAWK FROM 1200 TO 7600 FOR APPROX 1 MIN AND THEN TO 7700 FOR THE REST OF THE FLT; I THEN DSNDED TO APPROX 2000 FT AND FOLLOWED THE RIVER TO HARRISBURG WHERE I HAD A VISUAL OF BOTH HARRISBURG INTL AND CAPITAL CITY ARPTS. I OBSERVED NO CONFLICTING TFC AND SO FLEW A STRAIGHT-IN APCH TO RWY 12 AT CAPITAL CITY. ABOUT 2 MI OUT I OBSERVED A LIGHT ACFT TURNING OFF THE RWY ONTO THE TXWY. I OBSERVED NO OTHER TFC OR LIGHT SIGNALS FROM THE TWR SO I LANDED; TAXIED TO THE LINE AND SHUT DOWN UNEVENTFULLY. POSTFLT MAINT REVEALED THAT THE ALTERNATOR/REGULATOR HAD FILED LEAVING THE ELECTRICAL PWR ONLY FROM BATTERY. AS THE BATTERY DEPLETED; THE FUEL GAUGES GRADUALLY WENT DOWN MAKING IT APPEAR THAT THE FUEL WAS LEAKING OUT. EVENTUALLY ALL ELECTRICAL EQUIP BECAME INOP. I RPTED THIS TO HARRISBURG APCH; CAPITAL CITY ARPT AND CLEVELAND FSDO. THE ACFT ALTERNATOR AND REGULATOR WERE REPLACED.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.