ACR MLG OPERATING WITH ONE ENGINE DRIVEN GENERATOR INOPERATIVE HAD ELECTRICAL FAULT IN APU GENERATOR AND WAS UNABLE TO KEEP IT ON LINE. WITH ONE GENERATOR LEFT ELECTED A PRECAUTIONARY LNDG.

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WHILE OPERATING AUS CERTIFIED ACR FLT AS CAPT FROM ABQ TO DFW; ABNORMAL ELECTRICAL CONDITIONS WERE EXPERIENCED. THE ACFT; AN MLG; WAS DISPATCHED WITH #2 ENG DRIVEN GEN INOP. DURING CLB THE APU GEN DROPPED OFF LINE. VOLTS AND FREQS ON APU GEN WERE WITHIN LIMITS BUT IT WOULD NOT TAKE LINE AND PWR BUS. RETURNED TO ABQ WITH ONLY #1 ENG DRIVEN GEN PWRING ELECTRICAL SYS. THERE WAS CONCERN FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF ELECTRICAL FIRE SINCE THE APU GEN WAS APPARENTLY OPERATING NORMALLY; BUT WOULD NOT TAKE AND PWR BUS. RECEIVED EXPEDITIOUS ROUTING BACK TO ABQ AND THEREFORE DID NOT DECLARE EMER. LANDED ABQ W/O INCIDENT. GND PERSONNEL NOTIFIED FLT CREW OF ODOR OF ELECTRICAL SMOKE IN #1 CARGO BIN. ACFT REPAIRED AND RETURNED TO SVC. RECOMMEND 2 ENG ACR ACFT BE PROHIBITED FROM OPERATING ON MORE THAN 1 FLT SEGMENT WITH AN ENG DRIVEN GEN INOP. FURTHER; THAT SEGMENT MUST BE TO AN FAA APPROVED MAINT FAC FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF GEN REPAIR. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR HAD FOLLOWED UP ON THE ACFT AND FOUND THAT THE REASON THE APU GEN COULD NOT BE PUT ON LINE WAS BECAUSE THE CTL PANEL FOR THE APU IN THE E&E COMPARTMENT HAD SHORTED OUT AND MELTED DOWN AND THIS WAS WHAT CAUSED THE ODOR OF BURNING ELECTRICAL. WHILE RPTR WOULD LIKE TO SEE STRICTER LIMITS PU ON TIME ACFT COULD OPERATE WITH ENG DRIVEN GEN; HE REALIZED THAT PART OF THE PROB RIGHT NOW IN MAINT NOT BEING ACCOMPLISHED AS TIMELY AS IT SHOULD IS BECAUSE OF THE AIRLINES BEG EXPANSION AND THE PROBLEM WITH GETTING ENOUGH QUALIFIED MECHANICS AND THE FURTHER FACT THAT A LOT OF CURRENT MECHANICS ARE HITTING RETIREMENT AGE AND LEAVING A LACK OF HIGHER QUALIFIED MECHANICS AVAILABLE.