AN ATX CARGO PLT FLYING A C210C HAS COMPLETE ELECTRICAL FAILURE IN IMC. THE PLT CLBED ABOVE THE CLOUDS AND FLEW TO ABQ WHERE THE WX WAS BETTER AND LANDED AT AEG. A GND WIRE WAS REPLACED AND LATER THE ALTERNATOR WAS ALSO REPLACED.

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I WAS APCHING FMN VOR (IAF) AND HAD BEEN CLRED ILS RWY 25 AT FMN WHEN I LOST ALL ELECTRICAL PWR IN IMC. I CLBED; TRIED TO TROUBLESHOOT WITH ACFT CHKLIST. I WAS UNABLE TO RESOLVE PROB. I TURNED TO A HDG OF 130 DEGS AND WENT BACK TO ABQ WHERE WX HAD BEEN FORECAST TO BE IMPROVING. CLOUDS BECAME SCATTERED SO I DSNDED AND FOUND LANDMARKS FAMILIAR AND PROCEEDED TO DOUBLE EAGLE AND LANDED. THE MECHS LOOKED AT THE ACFT THERE. A GND CONNECTION WAS REPLACED. I FLEW ACFT BACK TO ABQ INTL. ACFT WAS INSPECTED AGAIN. ALTERNATOR WAS FOUND TO BE FAULTY. I FEEL THAT THE SIT WAS UNFORESEEN AND THAT THERE WAS NO PRIOR INDICATION OF THE ONSET OF THE FAILURE. THE ALTERNATOR WAS BAD. IT HAD ONLY 40 HRS ON IT AND HAD SLOWLY BEEN DRAINING BATTERY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE PLT SAID THAT SHE WAS FLYING A CESSNA TURBO 210 AND SHE HAD JUST ENTERED THE CLOUDS WHEN SHE HAD A COMPLETE ELECTRICAL FAILURE. SHE SAID THAT SHE LEVELED OFF; THEN AFTER A BRIEF XCHK TO CONFIRM THE ELECTRICAL LOSS; PULLED GENTLY BACK ON THE CTL WHEEL TO CLB WITHOUT INDUCING A ROLL. ONCE SHE WAS ON TOP; SHE SAID THAT SHE AGAIN ATTEMPTED TO TROUBLESHOOT THE PROB AND FIX IT AND ALSO TO CONTACT ARTCC. SHE WAS UNSUCCESSFUL IN BOTH ENDEAVORS. LATER SHE WAS ABLE TO DETERMINE HER POS USING VISUAL REFS AND SUCCESSFULLY LANDED AT AEG. SHE SAID THAT SHE CHOSE TO LAND AT THIS UNCTLED ARPT RATHER THAN GO TO ABQ BECAUSE A NORDO ACFT WOULD BE LESS DISRUPTIVE AT AEG. THE GND WIRE WAS REPLACED AT AEG AND THE BATTERY WAS RECHARGED BY THE MAINT FACILITY PERSONNEL. UPON HER RETURN TO FMN SHE NOTED THAT THE ELECTRICAL SYS WAS AGAIN; APPARENTLY; FAILING AND THIS TIME SHE SAID THAT SHE SUSPECTED THE ALTERNATOR. THE RPTR SAID THAT SHE DID NOT KNOW THE MANUFACTURER OF THE FAULTY ALTERNATOR. SHE SAID THAT SHE HAS HAD NO FURTHER TROUBLE WITH THIS ACFT'S ELECTRICAL SYS.