A CESSNA 182RG AT 2200 FT DECLARED AN EMER DUE TO UNABLE TO EXTEND THE LNDG GEAR NORMALLY. GEAR MANUALLY EXTENDED. PROB CAUSED BY LOSS OF ELECTRICAL PWR.

Narrative

WHILE ON A DAY VFR PLEASURE FLT; THE LNDG GEAR FAILED TO EXTEND. RECYCLING THE GEAR HANDLE DID NOT HELP. I PULLED THE BREAKER AND PUMPED GEAR DOWN MANUALLY. PANEL LIGHTS BEGAN FLASHING AND I HAD BUZZING IN MY HEADSET. I SHUT DOWN THE AVIONICS AFTER ATTEMPTING TO CALL THE CLASS D TWR WITHOUT SUCCESS; COULD ALSO NOT RECEIVE ATIS. IN SO DOING; MY MODEL C XPONDER BECAME INOP AND I WAS WITHIN THE 30 MI RADIUS IN WHICH IT IS REQUIRED. BUT I HAD NO GEAR DOWN LIGHT AND WANTED TWR TO VISUALLY VERIFY THE NOSE GEAR POS; SO I USED MY HAND-HELD TRANSCEIVER TO REACH THEM AND IN SO DOING MAY HAVE ENTERED CLASS D BEFORE ESTABLISHING 2-WAY COMS. I TOOK THESE ACTIONS TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE GEAR WAS DOWN BEFORE LNDG. THE TWR SAID THE GEAR LOOKED NORMAL ON LOW PASS FLY-BY; BUT I ACCEPTED THEIR OFFER TO HAVE EMER EQUIP STANDING BY. WHILE TRYING TO FLY THE AIRPLANE AND COMMUNICATE WITH MY HAND-HELD; I MAY NOT HAVE PROPERLY ACKNOWLEDGED ALL OF THE TWR COMS. WHEN THE EQUIP WAS IN POS; I ACCEPTED MY LNDG CLRNC AND LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. I WAS ASKED TO CALL THE TWR; AND VISITED INSTEAD AND HELPED THE SUPVR FILL-OUT AN ACCIDENT/INCIDENT FORM. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE LOSS OF ELECTRICAL PWR WAS CAUSED BY A LOOSE LUG ON THE ALTERNATOR THAT ARCED AND ULTIMATELY MELTED. THE RPTR STRESSED THE NEED TO CARRY A HAND-HELD XMITTER FROM WHICH TWR COM WAS ESTABLISHED.