C182 HAS COMPLETE ELECTRICAL FAILURE. PLT ELECTS TO DIVERT TO FAMILIAR ARPT AND LAND AS NIGHT IS APCHING.

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ON OCTOBER/XA/99 AT APPROX XA30; I WAS FLYING ALONE IN AN IFR-EQUIPPED C182 IN VISUAL CONDITIONS OVER NORTHEASTERN NJ. ABOUT 67 NM WNW OF WHITE PLAINS ARPT; I EXPERIENCED A TOTAL ELECTRONICS AND ELECTRICAL FAILURE AND MADE A COM-OUT EMER LNDG AT WHITE PLAINS. ANALYSIS: 1) DECIDING TO LAND. I THINK THIS WAS A PRETTY GOOD DECISION; CONSIDERING THE TIME OF DAY; PROX TO THE BUSY NEW YORK AIRSPACE; THE LACK OF NAVAIDS; LIGHTS AND XPONDER; AND MY WORRY ABOUT A PROGRESSIVE FAILURE. 2) SELECTION OF HPN. THIS; TOO; WAS A GOOD DECISION. FIRST; I COULD SEE IT. I HAVE BEEN THERE MANY TIMES AND KNEW THE FIELD. WHILE IT IS A BUSY ARPT; I ALSO KNEW IT HAD A LESS-HEAVILY USED SECONDARY RWY. TURNING AROUND TO MORRISTOWN OR GOING FARTHER; TO SAY DANBURY OR HARTFORD; WOULD HAVE REQUIRED MORE GUESS-WORK AND NAV; SO VOTING FOR 'A BIRD IN THE HAND' WAS THE RIGHT CHOICE. 3) TROUBLESHOOTING THE FAILURE. THE PROB WAS AN ELECTRICAL FAILURE; NOT AN ELECTRONICS FAILURE. BUT INITIALLY I HANDLED IT AS AN AVIONICS-ONLY PROB AND IT NEVER OCCURRED TO ME THAT ELECTRICAL SYS; LIKE FLAPS; WOULD BE AFFECTED BY THE SAME SINGLE-POINT FAILURE THAT TOOK OUT THE ELECTRONICS. THIS RESULTED IN ME BEING HIGH AND HOT; AND DIRECTLY RESULTED IN THE XING OF THE ACTIVE RWY. DUMB MISTAKE -- I SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT ONE THROUGH. 4) CONTINUING WITH THE LNDG WITHOUT FLAPS. WHEN I DISCOVERED THE FLAPS WERE NOT FUNCTIONING; I THOUGHT ABOUT GOING AROUND. BUT THEN I CONSIDERED THE DIFFICULTIES OF FLYING THROUGH A BUSY PATTERN WITHOUT RADIOS; OR THE POSSIBILITY MY PROB WAS PROGRESSIVELY WORSENING; AND I FIGURED THE BEST PLAN WAS JUST THE SIMPLEST ONE -- SLIP IT IN AND LAND IT. 5) LIGHT SIGNALS. NEVER SAW THEM; IF THERE WERE ANY; BUT I SURE WAS WATCHING. I SUSPECT THE TWR DID NOT SEE ME IN TIME FOR THEIR USE TO BE EFFECTIVE. 6) FLYING THE 'LOST-COM' TRIANGLE. I ALSO CONSIDERED THIS; AFTER SQUAWKING 7700 AND RUNNING THROUGH THE CHKLIST. DECIDED AGAINST IT BECAUSE A) THE PROBABILITY THAT THE NEW YORK CTLR HAD STOPPED PAYING ATTN TO MY TRACK ONCE I STOPPED TALKING TO HIM OUTSIDE THE CLASS B; B) UNCERTAINTY ABOUT MY FUEL; ONCE I STARTED TO WASTE TIME FLYING TRIANGLES; AND C) THE DETERIORATING ABILITY OF THE TWR TO TRACK ME VISUALLY ONCE THE SUN SET. 7) BACK-UP COMS. I OWN A HAND-HELD RADIO; WHICH I HAD STOPPED CARRYING IN THE PLANE AFTER 7 YRS BECAUSE NOTHING HAD EVER HAPPENED AND I WAS GETTING TIRED OF CHANGING THE BATTERIES EVERY 3 MONTHS. ALSO; I HAD A CELL PHONE WITH ME AND COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT USING IT. I COULD HAVE CALLED AHEAD TO THE TWR; USING 911; AND THIS WHOLE SIT COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH MORE EASILY RESOLVED. NEITHER OF THOSE EVENTS WILL HAPPEN AGAIN; TO BE SURE. RESULTS: OVERALL; THIS STORY HAS A HAPPY ENDING. I GREATLY APPRECIATE THE HELP WESTCHESTER TWR PROVIDED IN HOLDING ANY DEPARTING TFC; CLRING BOTH RWYS; AND PUTTING THE CRASH TRUCKS ON ALERT. THE AIRPLANE IS CURRENTLY GETTING A FULL AVIONICS AND ELECTRICAL CHK-UP. AS FOR MY PLTING SKILLS; I WAS VERY PLEASED WITH THE GENERAL HANDLING OF THE SIT AND THE TRAINING I HAVE RECEIVED CLRLY PREPARED ME FOR THIS TYPE OF EVENT.