BE36 PLT LOSES ALL ELECTRICAL PWR AFTER NIGHT TKOF. JUDGING THE DEP ARPT UNSUITABLE DUE TO HVY TFC; PLT CONTINUES FLT FOR MORE THAN 1 HR BEFORE LOCATING A FIELD SUITABLE FOR LNDG.

Narrative

I HAD DEPARTED THE ZZZ1 ARPT AFTER MIDNIGHT. I HAD CLBED TO 1600 FT AND LEVELED OFF. I WAS ON A NORTHERLY HDG. APPROX 5 MINS AFTER LEVELING OFF I LOST ALL COMS FOLLOWED BY A COMPLETE ELECTRICAL FAILURE. I NO LONGER HAD ZZZ1 IN SIGHT BUT ALSO DIDN'T FEEL IT WAS APPROPRIATE TO GO BACK TO THE ZZZ1 ARPT WITHOUT ANY RADIO COMS AND MY XPONDER OUT. WHEN I LEFT ZZZ1 I WAS TOLD HELIS WERE COMING IN AT A RATE OF EVERY 2 MINS DUE TO THE IMPENDING HURRICANE HITTING THE EAST COAST. I HAD OBSERVED THE CONTINUOUS LNDGS WHILE ON THE GND. I TRIED TO RESET THE BATTERY BUT TO NO AVAIL. I PULLED OUT MY FLASHLIGHTS AND SET THEM UP INSIDE THE AIRPLANE. USING THE COMPASS I PROCEEDED N. I THEN STARTED TURNS TO THE NE AND NW LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO LAND. I PROCEEDED TO AREAS WHERE I SAW LIGHTS HOPING A CITY WITH AN ARPT WOULD BE CLOSE BY. OFTEN I WOULD LOCATE A ROTATING BEACON BUT THE RWYS WERE UNLIT. I HAD NO MEANS OF TURNING THEM ON REMOTELY. I WOULD CIRCLE AN ARPT TRYING TO SEARCH OUT THE RWY PATTERNS BUT NEVER FELT CONFIDENT ENOUGH TO LAND. I CONTINUED ON MY SWEEPING HDGS TRAVELING FOR A LITTLE OVER AN HR. DURING THE FLT I WOULD GO IN AND OUT OF HAZE LAYERS INTO IFR CONDITIONS. I MAINTAINED MY ALT BTWN 2000 FT AND 2500 FT. THE HAZE ALSO AFFECTED MY LATERAL VISIBILITY. APPROX 1 HR AND 10 MINS INTO THE FLT I LOCATED A LARGE GROUP OF LIGHTS AND PROCEEDED TO FLY TO THAT AREA. I SAW A ROTATING BEACON BUT ONCE AGAIN I WAS UNABLE TO PERFECTLY DEFINE THE RWYS. I CIRCLED A NUMBER OF TIMES AND THEN DECIDED TO HEAD N AGAIN SINCE I DIDN'T WANT TO WASTE ANY MORE FUEL. A FEW MOMENTS LATER I DECIDED TO RETURN FEELING THAT THIS PARTICULAR ARPT WOULD BE MY BEST BET. AS I RETURNED I NOTICED THE RWY LIGHTS HAD BEEN ACTIVATED. I IMMEDIATELY MANUALLY LOWERED MY LNDG GEAR AND PROCEEDED TO LAND SAFELY. WHEN I LANDED I WAS GREETED BY A NUMBER OF POLICEMEN. I ASKED WHERE I WAS AND WAS INFORMED IT WAS THE ZZZ2 ARPT. THE AIR TFC CTLR HAD CONTACTED THEM. I WAS ON THE PHONE WITH THE CTLR AND SHE INFORMED ME SHE HAD SEEN ME PERIODICALLY ON RADAR. SHE WAS THE PERSON WHO REMOTELY TURNED ON THE LIGHTS. SHE THEN PROCEEDED TO ASK WHAT HAPPENED AND I EXPLAINED IT TO HER. SHE THEN ASKED ME IF I HAD LANDED AT THE ZZZ ARPT AND HAD MY BATTERY JUMPED AND DEPARTED AGAIN. I TOLD HER THAT THE ZZZ2 ARPT WAS MY FIRST AND ONLY LNDG. SHE SAID SHE HAD CONFLICTING RPTS AND THEN STATED THAT I HAD COME CLOSE TO THE NUCLEAR PWR PLAN AT ZZZ. I EXPLAINED ONCE AGAIN THAT I HAD POOR VISIBILITY; NO ELECTRONICS AND MY ONLY NAV TOOL WAS MY COMPASS. I NEVER KNEW EXACTLY WHERE I WAS. THROUGH A SECOND CTLR I WAS CONNECTED TO A THIRD INDIVIDUAL. I DON'T KNOW HIS TITLE BUT COULD ONLY SURMISE HE WAS TALKING WITH ME DUE TO BEING CLOSE TO THE PWR PLANT AND THE AIR TFC CTLR'S MESSAGE OF ME LNDG AT ZZZ AND DEPARTING AGAIN. I TOLD HIM THAT IF I HAD LANDED AT ZZZ I WOULD BE TALKING WITH HIM ON THE PHONE FROM ZZZ.