SMA HAS COMPLETE ELECTRICAL FAILURE APCHING PKB AND LANDS WITHOUT CLRNC. THEN FLEW ACFT WITH FAILED ALTERNATOR TO HOME BASE ILLEGALLY BECAUSE HE HAD NO WAY TO CHK IF THE GEAR WAS DOWN OR NOT.

1996-11 · NASA ASRS report 353111

Date: 1996-11 · Aircraft: Any Unknown or Unlisted Aircraft Manufacturer

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-less-severe

Synopsis

SMA HAS COMPLETE ELECTRICAL FAILURE APCHING PKB AND LANDS WITHOUT CLRNC. THEN FLEW ACFT WITH FAILED ALTERNATOR TO HOME BASE ILLEGALLY BECAUSE HE HAD NO WAY TO CHK IF THE GEAR WAS DOWN OR NOT.

Narrative

I WAS RETURNING FROM IAD TO MWO ON AN IFR FLT PLAN IN VFR CONDITIONS AND WAS HANDED OVER TO PKB APCH CTL WHILE AT AN ALT OF 8000 FT. I ESTABLISHED CONTACT WITH PKB APCH CTL AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER NOTED THAT MY AUTOPLT STOPPED WORKING. MY #1 RADIO THEN STARTED TO FLICKER AND WITHIN SEVERAL MINS I REALIZED THAT I WAS LOSING PWR AND THAT MY ALTERNATOR WAS NOT WORKING. I HEARD PKB APCH CALL ME SEVERAL TIMES BUT WHEN I KEYED THE MIKE TO RESPOND; NOTHING HAPPENED. I SWITCHED MY XPONDER TO 7600 BUT I BELIEVE THAT BY THAT TIME THE BATTERY WAS ALMOST COMPLETELY GONE. AT THIS TIME I SWITCHED OFF ALL RADIOS AND THE MASTER SWITCH AND ORIGINALLY THOUGHT ABOUT CONTINUING ON TO MWO BUT THEN REALIZED THAT I HAD NO ABILITY TO TURN ON OR TURN APCH LIGHTS OR RWY LIGHTS UP OR DOWN. AT THAT TIME I WAS APCHING PARKERSBURG-MARIETTA ARPT AND DECIDED TO MAKE AN EMER LNDG AT THAT ARPT. I STARTED CIRCLING FROM ABOUT 8000 FT OVER THE ARPT AND THEN REALIZED THAT MY GEAR WOULD NOT GO DOWN WITHOUT ELECTRICAL PWR SO I COMMENCED THE PROC FOR PUMPING DOWN THE GEAR. AT THAT TIME I REALLY DIDN'T KNOW WHETHER THE ARPT TWR WAS MANNED OR NOT; BUT I COULD NOT COMMUNICATE WITH THEM IN ANY EVENT. I DID CIRCLE THE TWR ON MY WAY DOWN TO AN EMER LNDG AFTER I GOT THE GEAR DOWN TO LOOK FOR A GREEN LIGHT BUT DID NOT SEE ONE. I THEN MADE AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG AND TAXIED IN TO THE FBO; ASSUMING THAT THE TWR WAS CLOSED. AFTER GOING INTO THE FBO OFFICE I HEARD THE TWR COMMUNICATING AND I REALIZED THAT THE TWR WAS INDEED IN OP; SO I CALLED THEM AND EXPLAINED MY PREDICAMENT. THEY STATED THAT THEY KNEW I HAD LANDED AND THAT BOTH PKB APCH AND ZID WERE AWARE THAT I WAS ON THE GND. I HAD A MECH; WHO HAPPENED TO STILL BE ON DUTY; LOOK AT THE ACFT AND HE DETERMINED THAT THE ALTERNATOR BELT HAD COME OFF AND THAT THE PULLEYS WERE MISALIGNED. THE ACFT WAS LEFT IN THE HEATED HANGAR FOR THE NIGHT AND EARLY THE NEXT MORNING. ALTHOUGH WE HAD A BATTERY CART STANDING BY; THE BATTERY HAD REGAINED JUST ENOUGH PWR TO START THE ENG. WE FLEW HOME IN VFR CONDITIONS AND LANDED AT MWO WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. THE ALTERNATOR; BATTERY; ETC; ARE NOW BEING EXAMINED AND REPAIRED BY A MECH.

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

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