A C177 PLT EXPERIENCED A TOTAL ELECTRICAL FAILURE AT NIGHT AND APCH CTLR CLRED THE PLT FOR OWN NAV TO A SPECIFIED RWY. ANOTHER INBOUND ACFT RPTED TO THE TWR THAT WHILE THE C177 PLT WAS ON HIS OWN NAV; HE HAD CUT OFF THEIR APCH PATH TO ANOTHER RWY.

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I WAS INBOUND TO OAK; VFR; APPROX 12 MI NE; 3500 FT; WHEN I CONTACTED BAY APCH AND REQUESTED AN ILS APCH TO RWY 27R. AT THE TIME; OAK ATIS WAS RPTING A 700 FT BROKEN CEILING. BAY ADVISED ME THAT MY XPONDER WAS NOT BEING RECEIVED; SO I RESET THE XPONDER. BAY WAS GETTING A RADAR HIT ON MY AIRPLANE; HOWEVER; AND THE CTLR PROCEEDED TO START VECTORING ME FOR THE APCH; WHILE I TRIED SEVERAL MORE TIMES TO RESET THE XPONDER. A FEW MINS LATER; MY #1 COM FAILED; AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER I HAD A TOTAL ELECTRICAL SYS FAILURE. I RETRIEVED MY HAND HELD RADIO; AND REESTABLISHED COMS WITH BAY; AND INFORMED HIM OF MY SIT. BY THIS TIME I WAS OVER THE HAYWARD AREA; BUT ALTHOUGH CONDITIONS WERE VFR -- NIGHT; I WAS UNABLE TO IDENTIFY HAYWARD ARPT; OR ELSE I WOULD HAVE LANDED THERE IMMEDIATELY. BAY TRIED TO VECTOR ME TO HAYWARD FOR ABOUT 10 MINS; BUT I WAS UNSUCCESSFUL IN MAKING VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE FIELD. FINALLY I SAW OAK RWY 27L; THROUGH A THIN FOG LAYER OVER THE FIELD. I RPTED VISUAL CONTACT WITH OAK TO BAY; AND THE CTLR INSTRUCTED ME TO 'TURN L; ENTER R BASE FOR RWY 27; CLRED TO LAND.' AT THIS TIME; I WAS APPROX 4 MI FROM OAK; SW OF THE FIELD (OVER THE BAY); HDG N; SO A L TURN WOULD HAVE TAKEN ME FURTHER AWAY FROM THE FIELD. AFTER CONFIRMING THAT I HAD THE RWY IN SIGHT; THE CTLR CLRED ME TO FLY 'OWN NAV' TO RWY 27L. I DSNDED OUT OF 3000 FT; MANUALLY EXTENDED THE LNDG GEAR; AND LANDED ON RWY 27R AFTER THE CTLR ASKED ME TO SIDE STEP TO THE R. AT MY REQUEST; BAY DID NOT SWITCH ME TO TWR; BUT REMAINED WITH ME THROUGH THE LNDG. AFTER LNDG I CONTACTED THE TWR AND WAS INFORMED THAT ANOTHER ACFT RPTED THAT I CUT OFF THE APCH PATH TO RWY 29 AT AN ALT OF 300 FT. IF THIS IS SO; I NEVER SAW THEIR ACFT; AND WAS NEVER ADVISED OF TFC. FURTHERMORE; I ESTIMATE THAT I WAS PROBABLY AT 2000 TO 2500 FT ON MY DSCNT AS I CROSSED THE PATH OF RWY 29; ALTHOUGH I NEVER POSITIVELY IDENTED RWY 29. I AM AMAZED AND THANKFUL THAT THE OTHER ACFT SAW ME AT ALL; SINCE I HAD A TOTAL ELECTRICAL FAILURE AND WAS THEREFORE COMPLETELY UNLIT. IN THIS CONDITION IT WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT FOR THE OTHER PLT TO ACCURATELY GAUGE MY ALT AND POS. THE CONFLICT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED HAD THE CTLR DELAYED TFC WHILE I BROUGHT THE HANDICAPPED ACFT IN TO OAK. ALTHOUGH THE RADAR INDICATED THAT I WAS SE OF THE FIELD; I INFORMED BAY THAT I WAS DEFINITELY SW. THE CTLR COULD HAVE REALIZED THAT THIS WOULD MEAN THAT I WOULD HAVE TO CROSS THE APCH PATH OF RWY 29. I DO NOT MEAN TO CRITICIZE THE CTLR. HIS PERFORMANCE WAS THOROUGHLY OUTSTANDING THROUGHOUT MY ORDEAL; AND HE SHOULD BE COMMENDED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR HAS RECEIVED NO FURTHER QUESTIONING SINCE THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED. HE BELIEVES THAT THE FLC WHO ACCUSED HIM OF CUTTING THEM OFF EXPERIENCED A PERCEPTUAL ILLUSION. HIS ACFT WAS JUST A DARK MASS WITHOUT MUCH CONTRAST; SO IT WOULD HAVE BEEN VISUALLY DIFFICULT TO DETERMINE HIS POS AND JUDGE THE DISTANCE FROM HIS ACFT. RPTR DID NOT 'SEE AN AIRLINER BEARING DOWN UPON HIM.' THE ELECTRICAL FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY A FAULTY ALTERNATOR CONNECTION WIRE.