AN SMT SUFFERS ELECTRICAL SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT DURING A VFR FLT TO STL; MO. EVENT HAPPENS IN CMI; IL; AIRSPACE.

Narrative

THIS IS IN REF TO A FLT ON OCT/KL/97; AT ABOUT XX00 LCL. ON A PVT VFR FLT FROM SOUTH BEND; IN; TO SPIRIT OF ST LOUIS; I EXPERIENCED THE FOLLOWING PROB. I HAD BEEN RECEIVING CONTINUOUS FLT FOLLOWING AND WAS AT 8500 FT IN THE VICINITY OF CHAMPAGNE; IL; WHEN THE INTERIOR LIGHTS GOT SUDDENLY BRIGHTER FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY BY A VERY STRONG SMELL OF SMOKE. THE SMOKE SEEMED TO BE ELECTRICAL AND SEEMED TO BE COMING FROM THE INST PANEL. I IMMEDIATELY TOLD CHAMPAGNE APCH THAT I HAD A PROB AND TURNED OFF ALL PWR WITH THE MASTER PWR SWITCH. THIS STOPPED THE SMOKE IMMEDIATELY. WITH MY FLASHLIGHT I THEN CHKED THE BREAKER PANEL AND NO BREAKERS HAD TRIPPED NOR WAS THERE ANY SIGN OF WHERE THE SMOKE ORIGINATED FROM. WITH NO CHANCE TO ISOLATE THE PROB I LEFT ALL ELECTRICAL PWR OFF. THE VISIBILITY WAS UNLIMITED WITH NO CLOUDS BELOW 12000 FT SO I FIGURED IT WOULD BE SAFER TO CONTINUE VFR WITHOUT ELECTRICAL PWR; THAN RISK AN INTERIOR FIRE. AT THIS POINT; I CONSIDERED LNDG IN THE AREA. I LOOKED AT MY CHART AND REALIZED I HAD NEVER FLOWN INTO ANY OF THE ARPTS IN THE AREA. THE MORE I THOUGHT ABOUT LNDG AND DSNDING INTO AN UNFAMILIAR AREA AT NIGHT WITH NO NAVAIDS AND LIMITED INST AND ONLY A FLASHLIGHT AND TO READ THE LIMITED INSTS AND A CHART WITH THE LESS I LIKED THE IDEA. SINCE I HAD TURNED OFF THE PWR THE SMELL HAD DISSIPATED AND FLYING WAS NOT AN IMMEDIATE PROB. ATC HAD ME ON RADAR BEFORE THIS AND KNEW I WAS INTENDING ON LNDG AT SPIRIT ARPT IN ST LOUIS. I FIGURED THEY WOULD PROBABLY KEEP A PRIMARY ON ME AND ALERT THE CTRS IN FRONT OF ME AS WELL. THE REST OF THE FLT LASTED ABOUT 30 MINS AND WAS OTHERWISE NON EVENTFUL. APCHING THE ST LOUIS AREA I DSNDED BELOW THE CLASS B AIRSPACE. AT ABOUT 15 MI N I TURNED THE BATTERY ON ONLY (WITH BOTH ALTERNATORS OFF) AND THE #2 RADIO SINCE I COULD PRESET THE RADIO FREQ IN IT FOR SPIRIT TWR AND REDUCE MY PWR ON TIME. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE TWR AND TOLD THEM MY PROB AND LOWERED THE GEAR. THEY CLRED ME TO LAND AT THAT TIME AND WERE VERY HELPFUL. THE LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL. AT THIS TIME; GIVEN THE CHOICES AVAILABLE; I BELIEVE I MADE ALL THE CORRECT DECISIONS POSSIBLE FOR THE SAFETY OF THE FLT.