DURING NIGHT INST APCH PRACTICE; BURNING WIRE WAS SMELLED BY THE PLTS ON THEIR PIPER PA24-250 AND THEY SUBSEQUENTLY LOST ALL RADIO COMS AND LIGHTS. THEY SHUT OFF THE MASTER SWITCH AND DECLARED AN EMER WITH ATC OVER A HAND-HELD RADIO. THEY WERE VECTORED BACK TO THEIR ORIGINATING ARPT WHERE THEY LANDED GEAR UP SINCE THERE WERE NO ELECTRICAL WARNING LIGHTS OR HORN TO WARN THEM THAT THE GEAR WAS NOT DOWN.

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AT APPROX XA00 ON DEC/XA/98; I TOOK OFF FROM CRAIG ARPT ON A TRAINING FLT TO ACCOMPLISH MY IFR CURRENCY. I HAD MY INST FLT INSTRUCTOR WITH ME. I WAS PIC AND WE WERE CONDUCTING THE TRAINING VFR WITHOUT A FLT PLAN. AFTER BECOMING AIRBORNE; WE CONTACTED JAX APCH CTL WHO WORKED US THROUGH AN ILS PRACTICE APCH AT CRAIG ARPT. WE EXERCISED A MISSED APCH AND FOLLOWED CLBOUT INSTRUCTIONS. WE HAD REACHED APPROX 1800 FT WHEN JAX APCH ADVISED US THEY WERE NOT RECEIVING OUR XPONDER. AT THAT TIME; THE RADIO RECEPTION WAS BECOMING GARBLED AND I NOTICED THAT THE AMMETER WAS DISCHARGING AS WELL AS THE ELECTRONIC ENG MONITOR SYS ACTING STRANGELY. I TURNED THE RADIO MASTER SWITCH OFF AND MY INSTRUCTOR RETRIEVED HIS HAND-HELD TRANSCEIVER AND ESTABLISHED CONTACT WITH JAX APCH CTL ADVISING OF WHAT APPEARED TO BE AN ELECTRICAL PROB. I MAINTAINED THE LAST ASSIGNED HDG AND ALT THAT WE HAD RECEIVED FROM JAX APCH AND THEY ADVISED US TO CONTACT CRAIG TWR. THE INSTRUCTOR CONTACTED CRAIG TWR ON HIS HAND-HELD RADIO AND ADVISED OF OUR PROB AND THEY CLRED US FOR AN EMER LNDG ON RWY 5. WE COMPLETED OUR PRELNDG CHKLIST INCLUDING THE GUMP CHK AND SUBSEQUENTLY LOST ALL REMAINING ELECTRICAL PWR. IT FELT LIKE THERE WAS INCREASED DRAG DUE TO THE GEAR EXTENDING AND THE GEAR SWITCH WAS IN THE DOWN POS. AS WE CROSSED OVER THE THRESHOLD OF THE RWY WITH 1 NOTCH OF FLAPS; I REDUCED THE PWR TO IDLE. THE FIRST INDICATION WE HAD THAT THE GEAR WAS NOT LOWERED WAS THE PROP STRIKING THE RWY. WE SKIDDED TO A STOP AND CUT OFF ALL ELECTRICAL SWITCHES AND TURNED OFF THE FUEL AND THEN EXITED THE ACFT. NO ONE WAS INJURED AND THE ACFT SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE TO THE BOTTOM SKIN AND THE PROP. THIS ACFT HAS A MANUAL GEAR EXTENSION SYS; HOWEVER; IT SEEMED TO ME THAT THE GEAR HAD GONE DOWN BECAUSE OF THE CHANGE IN NOISE AND FEEL OF THE PLANE. THE EXACT CAUSE OF THE ELECTRICAL PROB IS UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME AND THE AIRPLANE IS BEING CHKED BY THE MAINT FACILITY.