ACFT LOST ELECTRICAL PWR. HAND-HELD WEAK XMITTING AND RECEIVING COULD NOT CONTACT TWR BUT ONLY FOR A BRIEF TIME ANOTHER ACFT. OTHER ACFT RELAYED TO APA TWR AN ACFT WITH WEAK RADIOS WAS TRYING TO LAND. ENTERED CLASS D AIRSPACE WITHOUT CONTACTING TWR IN ORDER TO ATTRACT TWR ATTN FOR A LIGHT SIGNAL. COULD NOT GET LIGHT SIGNAL. DIVERTED BACK TO FNL.

Date: 1996-05 · Aircraft: Skylane 182/RG Turbo Skylane/RG

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-critical|other-unspecified

Synopsis

ACFT LOST ELECTRICAL PWR. HAND-HELD WEAK XMITTING AND RECEIVING COULD NOT CONTACT TWR BUT ONLY FOR A BRIEF TIME ANOTHER ACFT. OTHER ACFT RELAYED TO APA TWR AN ACFT WITH WEAK RADIOS WAS TRYING TO LAND. ENTERED CLASS D AIRSPACE WITHOUT CONTACTING TWR IN ORDER TO ATTRACT TWR ATTN FOR A LIGHT SIGNAL. COULD NOT GET LIGHT SIGNAL. DIVERTED BACK TO FNL.

Narrative

I WAS TRANSPORTING A CAP C182 TO APA FROM FNL IN ORDER TO HAVE MAINT DONE (THE STROBES WERE INOP AND MANIFOLD PRESSURE GAUGE STICKING). OPS APPEARED TO BE NORMAL UNTIL AFTER SPEAKING WITH TWR AT BJC. I HAD CHOSEN TO STAY CLR OF DENVER'S CLASS B AIRSPACE BY FLYING THE ESTABLISHED CORRIDOR OVER BJC AT 8500 FT MSL. AFTER SPEAKING WITH BJC CTL TWR; I BEGAN A SHALLOW DSCNT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO RECEIVE ATIS FROM APA. BOTH COM RADIOS BEGAN BREAKING UP WITH A BACKGND SQUEAL. ALTHOUGH I WAS ABLE TO RECEIVE ATIS; AND I WAS RECEIVING APA TWR; I SEEMED TO BE NOT XMITTING. I OPTED TO HOLD OVER MARSTON LAKE; 10 NM WNW OF APA; IN ORDER TO SORT THINGS OUT. IN AN EFFORT TO USE MY HAND-HELD RADIO; I DISCOVERED MY BATTERY WAS LOW; BUT AN ACFT IN THE AREA HEARD A BROKEN XMISSION FROM ME. I HEARD HIM INFORM APA TWR THAT THERE WAS AN ACFT WITH RADIO AND ELECTRICAL PROBS TRYING TO REACH THEM FOR LNDG. APA TWR REQUESTED THE ACFT TO RELAY; BUT I WAS UNABLE TO GET A XMISSION TO HIM AFTERWARDS. THE ARPT DIDN'T SEEM VERY BUSY; SO I OPTED TO GET LIGHT GUN SIGNALS FROM APA AND CONTINUE A PLAN TO LAND APA. IT WAS FAIRLY IMPORTANT TO ME TO PUT THE ACFT AT APA AS ANY MAINT NEEDED TO BE DONE THERE; AS INSTRUCTED BY THE AIR FORCE. STAYING AT 7500 FT MSL AND UNDER DEN CLASS B AND ABOVE APA TPA OF 6800 FT MSL; I PROCEEDED TO CIRCLE THE TWR REPEATEDLY WITHOUT RESPONSE. CHANGING DISTANCE FROM THE TWR; BOTH CLOSER AND FURTHER; DSNDING TO 7000 FT MSL; AND MAKING PWR CHANGES STILL BROUGHT NO RESPONSE FROM THE TWR. I WAS FRUSTRATED AND DISAPPOINTED; AS I HEARD THE TWR BEING INFORMED THAT I WAS 'OUT THERE' WITHOUT RADIOS. FROM THE TIME I LEFT MY HOLDING PATTERN OVER MARSTON LAKE; UNTIL I ABANDONED ATTEMPTS TO ALERT APA TWR BY CIRCLING +/- 20 MINS HAD ELAPSED. I PROCEEDED BACK TO FNL WITH MASTER SWITCH OFF IN AN EFFORT TO CONSERVE BATTERY TO LAND WITH FLAPS AT FNL; THOUGH I HAD NO ELECTRICAL PWR WHEN ENTERING FNL TFC PATTERN. THE FLT ENDED UNEVENTFULLY WITH A FLAPLESS LNDG. AFTER DRIVING BACK TO MY HOME; I CALLED APA TWR. THE STAFF HAD CHANGED SINCE THE TIME I WAS FLYING; BUT THERE HAD BEEN NO RPT THAT AN ACFT WITH MY NEEDS EXISTED. THE TWR ADMITTED THAT IF THEY WEREN'T BUSY; THEY OFTEN DON'T DO A GOOD JOB OF WATCHING OUT THE WINDOW. THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT MY ACTIONS WERE APPROPRIATE. P.S. I FORGOT TO MENTION THAT WHEN IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT I WAS NO LONGER XMITTING; I SQUAWKED 7600; BUT I BELIEVE MY XPONDER WAS INOP AT THIS TIME. THE LOW VOLTAGE LIGHT NEVER CAME ON UNTIL I WAS CIRCLING APA TWR.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.