C210 HAD COMPLETE ELECTRICAL FAILURE IN COS CLASS C.

Narrative

APPROX XA00; OCT/SAT/00; WITH AN AVIONICS PROFESSIONAL IN THE R SEAT; OUR PLANS WERE TO CHK OUT THE AUTOPLT WHICH HAD BEEN A BIT PROBLEMATIC. IN A NORMAL DEP OFF RWY 17R AT COLORADO SPRINGS MUNICIPAL; ABOUT 1-2 MI OFF THE END; I ATTEMPTED TO GET DEP CTL; AS IT SEEMED A BIT LONGER THAN USUAL IN THEIR COM. (WE HAD BEEN CLRED PRIOR TO TAXI FOR THE 'E' PRACTICE AREA WHICH IS E OF THE ARPT.) JUST AT THAT TIME; AND PROBABLY AS I RETRACTED THE GEAR; THE ENTIRE ELECTRICAL SYS FAILED. I ATTEMPTED TO RECYCLE THE AVIONICS; BUT SOON REALIZED ALL THE ELECTRICAL WAS GONE. TOLD MY PAX TO WATCH FOR ACFT IN THE PATTERN; AS I WOULD DO ALSO; AND TO PUMP THE GEAR DOWN WHILE I SET UP FOR LNDG. I ASSUMED THAT WHEN ALL ELECTRICAL WAS GONE; MY XPONDER HAD FAILED AND THEY WOULD BE LOOKING FOR ME IN THE PATTERN. I TURNED EASTERLY ABOUT 090 DEG HDG AND THEN ENTERED THE L DOWNWIND (NOW TRAVELING N) IN A NORMAL FASHION WHICH PUT ME ABOUT 1 MI E OF RWY 17L. I SAW A COMMERCIAL JET COMING IN FROM THE NE AND DETERMINED I WOULD STAY AT 7500 FT AS ALWAYS ADVISED XING APCH END OF RWY 17L AND FOLLOWED BEHIND THE JET. HE WAS LNDG RWY 17L. I PROCEEDED WESTERLY AND SET UP FOR LNDG ON RWY 17R; NO FLAPS; GEAR HAND PUMPED DOWN. ABOUT 1 1/2 MI FROM APCH END OF RWY; SAW 1 ACFT ROLLING DOWN RWY; ANOTHER HOLDING IN POS ON THE RWY. ABORTED; TURNED WESTERLY; THEN NORTHERLY; WATCHING FOR ACFT. ATTEMPTED TO SET UP AGAIN AND SAW; COMING FROM THE N AND ABOUT 2 MI; A BIZJET; LNDG LIGHTS ON; APPARENTLY ON THE GS ON RWY 17R. (NEVER IN OUR APCH ATTEMPTS DID WE SEE EMER LNDG BEACONS.) I TURNED THE ACFT E; STAYING N OF AND BTWN THE PARALLEL RWYS. THE BIZJET LANDED. WE CHKED FOR MORE INCOMING ACFT APCHING FROM THE N; THERE BEING NONE; WE SET UP FOR THE LNDG ON RWY 17R AGAIN. MY PAX PUMPED THE GEAR A FEW MORE TIMES; WE LANDED CLEAN IN A STRONG S WIND. I TAXIED OFF THE RWY AT THE FIRST OPPORTUNITY. I THINK IT WAS A-2. CHKED FOR ACFT AND TAXIED S TO OUR FBO. (IT IS MY IMPRESSION THAT THEY NEVER EVEN SAW US LAND OR TAXI!) IMMEDIATELY TELEPHONED TWR. HE ASKED IF WE WERE ALL OK AS THEY WERE WORRIED ABOUT US. TRACON CALLED A FEW MINS LATER AND ASKED ME TO DESCRIBE THE ENTIRE PROC; ESTIMATING WHERE I WAS AT EACH POINT; WHERE I TURNED; HOW FAR I TRAVELED; ETC. IT THEN BECAME APPARENT TO ME AND MY PAX THAT TWR NEVER SAW US AT ALL; AND WE WERE NEVER MORE THAN 1-2 MI FROM ANY RWY AND WE WERE ALWAYS IN THE PATTERN. TRACON TOLD ME THEY CALLED FORT CARSON AIRFIELD WHICH IS ABOUT 5 MI S AND ASKED THEM TO LOOK FOR US. MY ACFT IS A CENTURION T210. CONCLUSION: HAD TWR AND TRACON COMMUNICATED; THEY MIGHT HAVE LOOKED OUTSIDE WITH BINOCULARS TO SEE ME IN THE CLOSE PATTERN; HELD OTHER TFC OFF RWY AND GS UNTIL I LANDED. THAT SAID; THEY RELIED UPON XPONDER AND ASSUMED I WAS 'DOWN.' AMAZING THEY DIDN'T SEE ME LAND! CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR INDICATED THAT THE ENG STARTER DID NOT DISENGAGE AFTER ENG START. WHEN THE GEAR WAS RETRACTED; TWO HIGH DRAW ELECTRICAL LOADS WERE MORE THAN THE ACFT GENERATOR AND BATTERY COULD HANDLE. COMPLETE FAILURE RESULTED. THE ACFT GENERATOR AMMETER IS NOT WIRED THROUGH THE STARTER BECAUSE OF THE HIGH CURRENT DRAW. THERE WOULD BE NO WAY FOR THE PLT TO TELL THE STARTER WAS STILL CRANKING. PLT RECENTLY WENT TO REFRESHER TRAINING AND DISCOVERED THEY NOW ARE USING THE SAME SCENARIO SHE HAD.