Narrative:

Pilot departed smo at xa local for VFR flight to columbia, ca. Routine preflight checks and run-up indicated nothing irregular. Smo was VFR at time of departure. Pilot contacted bur approach and commenced climb to 8500'. WX over san fernando valley and to northwest was scattered to broken layer, bases estimated at 4000', tops at 6500', visibility greater than 20 mi. Aircraft was level at 8500' VFR on top, over lake hughes, on a heading of 320 degrees, when approach terminated radar service. Shortly thereafter pilot noticed abnormal ammeter fluctuations, and began shutdown of radio equipment. Over-voltage warning came on, pilot shut down master and commenced 180 degree turn to left. Smell of insulation burning began at this time. Pilot began descent in the turn having spotted a break in cloud layer below. Within seconds thick white smoke coming from underneath the panel began to fill the cockpit. Pilot commenced emergency procedure for electrical fire reconfirming master and electrical off, and closing all cabin vents. Forward visibility was quickly reduced, visibility through pilot's side window remained good and visibility contact with the 405 freeway was established. Smoke continued and pilot increased descent to greater than 1500 FPM with airspeed near redline. Vacuum instruments remained operational and pilot was able to utilize them during the descent. Monitoring of engine instruments indicated cylinder head temperature at redline, however oil pressure and oil temperature indicated normal. Pilot shut down cowl flaps per normal procedure on assumption that total electrical failure had resulted. During descent pilot noticed turn and bank indicator unreliable with cabin lights and over-voltage warning rapidly flashing on and off. Pilot leveled airplane at 3000' underneath cloud layer, and through side window idented position as at the northernmost part of the san fernando valley. Pilot elected to divert to whiteman airport and shortly thereafter was able to identify a small mountain and 4 smoke stacks near the air field. Prelndg checklist was completed in preparation for straight in approach to whiteman. Smoke had begun to subside, however pilot chose to keep all vents close. After reducing to gear extension speed, pilot reinstated landing gear breaker which had been pulled earlier and deployed gear. Pilot then caught sight of whiteman field and lined up with centerline while rocking wings back and forth in an attempt to alert the tower. Visibility was good through the pilot's window and spotting no aircraft on base, pilot commenced a flaps up approach to whiteman. Pilot touched down at a high rate of speed. Heavy braking was utilized to bring the airplane to a stop at the opp end of the field. Shutdown and evacuate/evacuation were completed immediately after the plane was pulled off the runway. Pilot contacted ground control and explained the situation.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: INFLT ELECTRICAL FIRE. DIVERT TO LAND AT NEAREST SUITABLE ARPT. UNABLE CALLBACK.

Narrative: PLT DEPARTED SMO AT XA LCL FOR VFR FLT TO COLUMBIA, CA. ROUTINE PREFLT CHKS AND RUN-UP INDICATED NOTHING IRREGULAR. SMO WAS VFR AT TIME OF DEP. PLT CONTACTED BUR APCH AND COMMENCED CLB TO 8500'. WX OVER SAN FERNANDO VALLEY AND TO NW WAS SCATTERED TO BROKEN LAYER, BASES ESTIMATED AT 4000', TOPS AT 6500', VISIBILITY GREATER THAN 20 MI. ACFT WAS LEVEL AT 8500' VFR ON TOP, OVER LAKE HUGHES, ON A HDG OF 320 DEGS, WHEN APCH TERMINATED RADAR SVC. SHORTLY THEREAFTER PLT NOTICED ABNORMAL AMMETER FLUCTUATIONS, AND BEGAN SHUTDOWN OF RADIO EQUIP. OVER-VOLTAGE WARNING CAME ON, PLT SHUT DOWN MASTER AND COMMENCED 180 DEG TURN TO LEFT. SMELL OF INSULATION BURNING BEGAN AT THIS TIME. PLT BEGAN DSCNT IN THE TURN HAVING SPOTTED A BREAK IN CLOUD LAYER BELOW. WITHIN SECS THICK WHITE SMOKE COMING FROM UNDERNEATH THE PANEL BEGAN TO FILL THE COCKPIT. PLT COMMENCED EMER PROC FOR ELECTRICAL FIRE RECONFIRMING MASTER AND ELECTRICAL OFF, AND CLOSING ALL CABIN VENTS. FORWARD VISIBILITY WAS QUICKLY REDUCED, VISIBILITY THROUGH PLT'S SIDE WINDOW REMAINED GOOD AND VIS CONTACT WITH THE 405 FREEWAY WAS ESTABLISHED. SMOKE CONTINUED AND PLT INCREASED DSCNT TO GREATER THAN 1500 FPM WITH AIRSPD NEAR REDLINE. VACUUM INSTRUMENTS REMAINED OPERATIONAL AND PLT WAS ABLE TO UTILIZE THEM DURING THE DSCNT. MONITORING OF ENG INSTRUMENTS INDICATED CYLINDER HEAD TEMP AT REDLINE, HOWEVER OIL PRESSURE AND OIL TEMP INDICATED NORMAL. PLT SHUT DOWN COWL FLAPS PER NORMAL PROC ON ASSUMPTION THAT TOTAL ELECTRICAL FAILURE HAD RESULTED. DURING DSCNT PLT NOTICED TURN AND BANK INDICATOR UNRELIABLE WITH CABIN LIGHTS AND OVER-VOLTAGE WARNING RAPIDLY FLASHING ON AND OFF. PLT LEVELED AIRPLANE AT 3000' UNDERNEATH CLOUD LAYER, AND THROUGH SIDE WINDOW IDENTED POS AS AT THE NORTHERNMOST PART OF THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY. PLT ELECTED TO DIVERT TO WHITEMAN ARPT AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER WAS ABLE TO IDENT A SMALL MOUNTAIN AND 4 SMOKE STACKS NEAR THE AIR FIELD. PRELNDG CHKLIST WAS COMPLETED IN PREPARATION FOR STRAIGHT IN APCH TO WHITEMAN. SMOKE HAD BEGUN TO SUBSIDE, HOWEVER PLT CHOSE TO KEEP ALL VENTS CLOSE. AFTER REDUCING TO GEAR EXTENSION SPD, PLT REINSTATED LNDG GEAR BREAKER WHICH HAD BEEN PULLED EARLIER AND DEPLOYED GEAR. PLT THEN CAUGHT SIGHT OF WHITEMAN FIELD AND LINED UP WITH CENTERLINE WHILE ROCKING WINGS BACK AND FORTH IN AN ATTEMPT TO ALERT THE TWR. VISIBILITY WAS GOOD THROUGH THE PLT'S WINDOW AND SPOTTING NO ACFT ON BASE, PLT COMMENCED A FLAPS UP APCH TO WHITEMAN. PLT TOUCHED DOWN AT A HIGH RATE OF SPD. HEAVY BRAKING WAS UTILIZED TO BRING THE AIRPLANE TO A STOP AT THE OPP END OF THE FIELD. SHUTDOWN AND EVAC WERE COMPLETED IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE PLANE WAS PULLED OFF THE RWY. PLT CONTACTED GND CTL AND EXPLAINED THE SITUATION.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.