PA32 PILOT ON IFR FLIGHT PLAN EXPERIENCES TOTAL ELECTRICAL FAILURE AT 6000 FEET. DUE TO WX AHEAD AND LANDING GEAR ISSUES WITHOUT POWER; REPORTER ELECTS TO DESCEND TO 5000 FEET AND RETURN TO DEPARTURE ARPT.

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I WAS ON AN IFR PLEASURE FLT; WITH MY FAMILY. WE DEPARTED ZZZ AT APPROX XA00. WE HAD ACTIVATED OUR IFR FLT PLAN THROUGH CLRNC DELIVERY. APPROX 1 HR INTO THE FLT; WHILE IN IMC AND UNDER THE CTL OF CTR; WE EXPERIENCED A COMPUTER ELECTRICAL FAILURE. I HAD A BACKUP GARMIN 396; WITH WX AND A HANDHELD TRANSCEIVER ONBOARD. A QUICK GLANCE AT THE GARMIN 396 SHOWED WX AHEAD OF ME; ON MY PLANNED RTE OF FLT. UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS; THIS WOULD HAVE REQUIRED VARIOUS APPROVED VECTORS FROM CTR. IN ADDITION; ZZZ1 IS AN UNTOWERED AIRFIELD. (I KNEW I WOULD NEED CONFIRMATION OF MY LNDG GEAR DOWN AS I HAD NO ELECTRICAL PWR TO INDICATE THE POS OF THE GEAR.) I ELECTED TO RETURN TO ZZZ. ON THE HANDHELD TRANSCEIVER; I BROADCAST MY EMER DECLARATION AND INTENTIONS ON THE 121.5 FREQ. MY WIFE COULD NOT MAKE CONTACT WITH 1-800-WX-BRIEF (MY INTENT HERE WAS TO HAVE THEM CONTACT CTR OR CONNECT US TO CTR; VIA CELL PHONE; BUT SHE WAS ABLE TO MAKE CONTACT WITH A 911 SVC). MY WIFE ASKED THIS SVC TO CONTACT THE FAA/1-800-WX-BRIEF AND ADVISE THEM OF OUR DECLARATION AND INTENTIONS. THE RETURN FLT TO ZZZ WAS ACCOMPLISHED AT 5000 FT MSL AND IN IMC. WHEN APPROX 50 NM S OF ZZZ; WE BEGAN A CAREFUL DSCNT OUT OF THE CLOUDS. WE USED OUR VFR SECTIONAL CHART TO ESTABLISH THE LOWEST ALT WE COULD SAFELY DSND TO. IN ADDITION; I PLACED THE GARMIN 395 IN THE TERRAIN MODE. AT APPROX 2900 FT MSL; WE BROKE OUT OF IMC INTO MARGINAL VFR. APPROX 10 MINS OUT OF ZZZ WE ANNOUNCED OUR DECLARATION TO ZZZ TWR; USING THE HANDHELD TRANSCEIVER. WE WERE CLRED TO THE ACTIVE RWY; USING A STRAIGHT-IN APCH; AS #2. I REQUESTED A LOW APCH TO CONFIRM MY GEAR WAS DOWN. THIS WAS APPROVED. DURING THE FLY-BY; TWR ADVISED US OUR GEAR WAS NOT DOWN. TWR REQUESTED THEIR NEEDED INFO; THEN CLRED US A BLOCK OF AIRSPACE W OF ZZZ. WE PERFORMED MANEUVERS; AS DESCRIBED IN THE ACFT OWNER'S MANUAL; IN THE HOPES OF GETTING THE GEAR TO DROP. I ENGAGED IN SLOW FLT. I FISHTAILED THE ACFT AND I PLACED MINOR G-LOADS ON THE AIRFRAME. TWR ADVISED US THE GEAR HAD DROPPED. A REPEAT FLY-BY CONFIRMED THE GEAR WERE EXTENDED. WE WERE CLRED TO LAND ON THE ACTIVE RWY. THIS LNDG OCCURRED WITHOUT INCIDENT. WE TAXIED THE ACFT TO A MAINT FACILITY AND HAD AN UNEVENTFUL ENG SHUTDOWN. I TELEPHONED THE TWR; ON MY OWN ACCORD; TO THANK THEM FOR THEIR ASSISTANCE. THEY ADVISED THE NTSB WOULD BE IN CONTACT WITH ME OR THE AVIATION MAINT FACILITY.