PA28 PVT PLT EXPERIENCED AN ELECTRICAL FAILURE AND LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT.

Narrative

I WAS FLYING VFR FROM ZZZ TO ZZZ1. I WOULD NORMALLY FILE IFR FOR THIS FLT; BUT THE WX HAD BEEN VERY CLR AND STABLE. I DID REQUEST AND RECEIVED TA'S FROM ZZZ APCH AND SUBSEQUENTLY ZZZ2 APCH AND ZZZ2 CTR. THE FLT WAS NOT EVENTFUL UNTIL I WAS APPROX 45 MI FROM ZZZ1. IT WAS THEN THAT CTR TOLD ME THEY HAD LOST MY XPONDER SIGNAL. I RECYCLED THE XPONDER AND RECEIVED ANOTHER BARELY AUDIBLE XMISSION FROM CTR. WHEN REPEATED; I UNDERSTOOD THE CTLR WAS TERMINATING RADAR SVCS BECAUSE HE WAS NOT RECEIVING MY XPONDER. I CONTINUED TRYING TO GET THE XPONDER TO WORK WHEN I NOTICED THE RADIOS HAD GONE SILENT. I FLIPPED THROUGH SEVERAL FREQS WITHOUT LUCK. I PUT 7600 IN THE XPONDER IN CASE ANYBODY PICKED IT UP. I NOTICED THE ALTERNATOR GAUGE WAS READING ZERO BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY THAT IT DID NOT BUDGE WHEN I TURNED OFF THE ALTERNATOR SWITCH. I REALIZED THEN I WAS EXPERIENCING A FULL ELECTRICAL FAILURE. I THEN SWITCHED THE CODE FROM 7600 TO 7700 BUT KNEW IT WAS ONLY A FORMALITY. USING MY BATTERY PWRED GPS; I TURNED TOWARD THE NEAREST ARPT (ZZZ3); AND WENT THROUGH ALTERNATOR FAILURE CHKLIST. I TRIED TO PUT DOWN MY LNDG GEAR AND OF COURSE THE PUMP DID NOT WORK AND I HAD NO LNDG GEAR LIGHTS. BECAUSE I DID NOT SEE ANY ACTIVITY ON ZZZ3 AND; THEREFORE; NO ONE TO COME TO MY AID IF NEEDED; I TURNED TOWARD ZZZ4; A SLIGHTLY LARGER CITY AND AN ARPT WITH MORE ACTIVITY. I QUICKLY REALIZED; HOWEVER; THAT WHAT I NEEDED WAS A TWRED ARPT THAT COULD UTILIZE A LIGHT GUN TO SIGNAL TO ME IF IT APPEARED MY LNDG GEAR WAS DOWN. THE NEAREST TWRED ARPT WAS ZZZ1. I TURNED AGAIN TO ZZZ1. I WENT THROUGH THE EMER GEAR DOWN CHKLIST TO FAMILIARIZE MYSELF WITH WHAT I WOULD HAVE TO DO UPON ARR IN ZZZ1. I THEN REVIEWED THE LIGHT SIGNALS FROM MY KNEE BOARD TO KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE TWR. I ENTERED THE ZZZ1 CLASS C AIRSPACE AT A LOW ALT AND WITH A VERY FOCUSED SCAN TRYING TO AVOID OTHER TFC. I ENTERED THE PATTERN AT ZZZ1 AFTER CAREFULLY SCANNING FOR TFC. I THEN PROCEEDED TO PERFORM THE EMER GEAR DOWN PROC. I DSNDED TO APPROX 400 FT AND OVERFLEW THE RWY YAWING THE AIRPLANE ABRUPTLY AS RECOMMENDED IN THE EMER PROC EXPECTING THAT WOULD ALERT THE TWR I COULD NOT TALK TO THEM AND THAT I WAS HOPING MY GEAR WAS DOWN AND LOCKED. BECAUSE THE TWR AT ZZZ1 IS NEAR THE END OF THE ACTIVE RWY; I FIGURED IT WOULD TAKE THE TWR THE TIME I TOOK FOR ANOTHER PASS TO GET THE LIGHT GUN READY AND SIGNAL ME. I WENT AROUND THE PATTERN AND AGAIN OVER THE RWY YAWED THE AIRPLANE AND STARED AT THE TWR. THERE WAS NO LIGHT. I THOUGHT PERHAPS THEY DID NOT SEE ME...I'LL GO BY ONE MORE TIME. WHEN COMPLETING MY THIRD PASS; I SAW THE FIRE TRUCKS PULL ONTO THE FIELD AND BEGIN POSITIONING THEMSELVES ALONG VARIOUS POINTS ADJACENT TO THE RWY. I DECIDED IT WAS TIME TO TRY TO LAND. I SLOWED TO THE SLOWEST SAFE SPD AND RIGHT BEFORE TOUCHDOWN I PULLED THE MIXTURE TO CUTOFF. ALMOST SIMULTANEOUSLY; I TOUCHED DOWN AND REALIZED THE WHEELS WERE DOWN. I QUICKLY PUSHED THE MIXTURE TO RICH AND KEPT THE ENG RUNNING AND WAS ABLE TO TAXI OFF THE RWY. I FOLLOWED ONE OF THE FIRE ENGS TO THE RAMP. THE DRIVER OF THE FIRE TRUCK ASKED ME WHAT HAPPENED AND I TOLD HIM I HAD AN ELECTRICAL FAILURE. HE SAID THAT'S WHAT THE TWR FIGURED. HE THEN SAID THE TWR TRIED TO SIGNAL ME BUT THE LIGHT GUN DIDN'T WORK; AND THAT THEY HAD CHANGED BATTERIES BUT THE GUN STILL DID NOT WORK. THE NEXT DAY THE ALTERNATOR WAS REPLACED AND I FLEW TO ZZZ WITHOUT INCIDENT. I LEARNED THAT I SHOULD EXPECT GAUGES TO WORK AND NOT IGNORE THEM JUST BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN INACCURATE IN THE PAST. I LEARNED A BATTERY PWRED GPS AND A HANDHELD RADIO ARE ESSENTIAL IN AIRPLANES. I HAVE TRIED TO ANALYZE WHAT OPTION I HAD TO ENTERING CLASS C AIRSPACE WITHOUT 2-WAY COM AT ZZZ1; BUT DUE TO THE EMER; I DON'T THINK I HAD A BETTER ALTERNATIVE. I LEARNED FROM THE CTL TWR SUPVR THAT AFTER YOU OVERFLY THE RWY THEY PREFER YOU CIRCLE 'OFF' THE FIELD WHILE YOU WAIT FOR A LIGHT SIGNAL. FRANKLY; I HAD NEVER HEARD THIS BEFORE. LASTLY; I LEARNED I SHOULD SAY GOODBYE TO MY WIFE AND CHILDREN BEFORE WE HEAD OUT THE DOOR EACH MORNING. YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT LIFE HAS IN STORE.