The pilot of a cessna 172L reported that while trying to reset the avionics he discovered he lost al...

Attributes
ACN	1412260
Time
Date	201612
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.Airport
State Reference	US
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	Cruise
Route In Use	Direct
Flight Plan	None
Component
Aircraft Component	Electrical Power
Person 1
Function	Single Pilot Pilot Flying
Qualification	Flight Crew Flight Instructor Flight Crew Multiengine Flight Crew Instrument Flight Crew Commercial
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 20 Flight Crew Total 251 Flight Crew Type 165
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe Deviation - Procedural Landing Without Clearance Inflight Event / Encounter Fuel Issue

Narrative:

Lost GPS garmin 430 over ZZZ. Tried to troubleshoot GPS; by resetting avionics. Proceeded to shoot GPS at a safe distance from practice area near ZZZ1. Lost track of how long I spent trouble shooting. Noticed my fuel tank gauge[s] were on empty; but I didn't realize this was only due to an electrical failure. Attempted to contact ZZZ1 tower via cell phone but was unable to receive a good cellular signal. Tested electrical system once more by attempting to lower flaps; but they failed. I then concluded I had a total electrical failure and was unsure how long I had been circling or how much fuel I burned. With my fuel gauges still reading empty I made the decision to land on runway xx remembering that it was the active runway on my departure and observing aircraft taking off.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: The pilot of a Cessna 172L reported that while trying to reset the avionics he discovered he lost all electrical power.

Narrative: Lost GPS Garmin 430 over ZZZ. Tried to troubleshoot GPS; by resetting Avionics. Proceeded to shoot GPS at a safe distance from practice area near ZZZ1. Lost track of how long I spent trouble shooting. Noticed my fuel tank gauge[s] were on empty; but I didn't realize this was only due to an electrical failure. Attempted to contact ZZZ1 tower via cell phone but was unable to receive a good cellular signal. Tested electrical system once more by attempting to lower flaps; but they failed. I then concluded I had a total electrical failure and was unsure how long I had been circling or how much fuel I burned. With my fuel gauges still reading empty I made the decision to land on Runway XX remembering that it was the active runway on my departure and observing aircraft taking off.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.

The pilot of a cessna 172L reported that while trying to reset the avionics he discovered he lost all electrical power.