Narrative:

I departed mth IFR, after jumping my dead battery. My destination was tix. My alternator was working when I entered the cloud base at 1200'. My aircraft lost the alternator 5 mi into the flight. I reported this to the controller and told her that I was dropping my gear before the battery dies completely which would decrease my airspeed to 110 KTS from 160. I told her that I had a standby hand-held transceiver which I could use when my aircraft battery dies and I lost my radios. I never considered going back to mth since I had no navigation capability and I did not want to let down over the water and chance no visibility in the 80% coverage rain showers. I also did not consider going into mia, pbi, ft meyers, etc because of low ceilings and rain. I did make contact with 2 airliners. I told that I intended to proceed to my destination direct at 7000' and start my left down at melbourne from the assigned 7000'. He either did not receive all the transmission or got busy and forgot to relay. I had standby vacuum from my engine to operate my horizon and dg. I then could not communicate with mis on the assigned frequency. My hand-held could receive, but was too weak to transmit properly. I made a blind call on 121.5 and received no reply. I then switched to the next area frequency hoping to get a call. Somewhere west of vero beach (an inoperative VOR) I found a hole and could see the ground. I immediately let down VFR and proceeded toward where I thought melbourne was with a ceiling of 1500' and approximately 50% coverage of rain showers. I spotted melbourne but decided not to land there because of having no radio and the much greater traffic than we have at tix, my home base. I switched to tix frequency at that time on my hand-held and heard them calling me. I replied, but they only heard a click. They asked me to click my microphone twice if I read them, and I did. I then was able to land at tix. In retrospect, I should have declared an emergency immediately upon losing my alternator which would have caused the first controller to pay more attention to the seriousness of my problem. The controller should have told me that I was cleared all the way at 7000', and told me that if lost my transmission they would communicate with me by asking me to turn or circle when I heard them. She should have given me the next frequency. If they knew I could hear them, they could have guided me to a closer airport, such as vero beach and allowed me to descend over the ocean where they knew the ceiling was around 1500' and then had someone vector me to that airport. I am getting an attachment to allow me to use the aircraft antenna with my hand-held. I am going to also start carrying my hand-held cellular phone (which is not legal to use in the air), which I would only use in case of severe emergency. After landing, I was asked to call the supervisor at ZMA. He said that I should have landed at tamiami airport. I told him that there was no way I was going to deviate from my cleared flight plan west/O communications or navigation to a high traffic area with many high obstacles.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF SMA LOST ALTERNATOR AND ELECTRICAL ENROUTE, USED HAND-HELD TRANSCEIVER TO COMMUNICATE, DESCENDED THROUGH HOLE IN OVERCAST LOCATED HOME ARPT AND LANDED.

Narrative: I DEPARTED MTH IFR, AFTER JUMPING MY DEAD BATTERY. MY DEST WAS TIX. MY ALTERNATOR WAS WORKING WHEN I ENTERED THE CLOUD BASE AT 1200'. MY ACFT LOST THE ALTERNATOR 5 MI INTO THE FLT. I RPTED THIS TO THE CTLR AND TOLD HER THAT I WAS DROPPING MY GEAR BEFORE THE BATTERY DIES COMPLETELY WHICH WOULD DECREASE MY AIRSPD TO 110 KTS FROM 160. I TOLD HER THAT I HAD A STANDBY HAND-HELD TRANSCEIVER WHICH I COULD USE WHEN MY ACFT BATTERY DIES AND I LOST MY RADIOS. I NEVER CONSIDERED GOING BACK TO MTH SINCE I HAD NO NAV CAPABILITY AND I DID NOT WANT TO LET DOWN OVER THE WATER AND CHANCE NO VISIBILITY IN THE 80% COVERAGE RAIN SHOWERS. I ALSO DID NOT CONSIDER GOING INTO MIA, PBI, FT MEYERS, ETC BECAUSE OF LOW CEILINGS AND RAIN. I DID MAKE CONTACT WITH 2 AIRLINERS. I TOLD THAT I INTENDED TO PROCEED TO MY DEST DIRECT AT 7000' AND START MY LEFT DOWN AT MELBOURNE FROM THE ASSIGNED 7000'. HE EITHER DID NOT RECEIVE ALL THE XMISSION OR GOT BUSY AND FORGOT TO RELAY. I HAD STANDBY VACUUM FROM MY ENG TO OPERATE MY HORIZON AND DG. I THEN COULD NOT COMMUNICATE WITH MIS ON THE ASSIGNED FREQ. MY HAND-HELD COULD RECEIVE, BUT WAS TOO WEAK TO XMIT PROPERLY. I MADE A BLIND CALL ON 121.5 AND RECEIVED NO REPLY. I THEN SWITCHED TO THE NEXT AREA FREQ HOPING TO GET A CALL. SOMEWHERE W OF VERO BEACH (AN INOP VOR) I FOUND A HOLE AND COULD SEE THE GND. I IMMEDIATELY LET DOWN VFR AND PROCEEDED TOWARD WHERE I THOUGHT MELBOURNE WAS WITH A CEILING OF 1500' AND APPROX 50% COVERAGE OF RAIN SHOWERS. I SPOTTED MELBOURNE BUT DECIDED NOT TO LAND THERE BECAUSE OF HAVING NO RADIO AND THE MUCH GREATER TFC THAN WE HAVE AT TIX, MY HOME BASE. I SWITCHED TO TIX FREQ AT THAT TIME ON MY HAND-HELD AND HEARD THEM CALLING ME. I REPLIED, BUT THEY ONLY HEARD A CLICK. THEY ASKED ME TO CLICK MY MIC TWICE IF I READ THEM, AND I DID. I THEN WAS ABLE TO LAND AT TIX. IN RETROSPECT, I SHOULD HAVE DECLARED AN EMER IMMEDIATELY UPON LOSING MY ALTERNATOR WHICH WOULD HAVE CAUSED THE FIRST CTLR TO PAY MORE ATTN TO THE SERIOUSNESS OF MY PROB. THE CTLR SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME THAT I WAS CLRED ALL THE WAY AT 7000', AND TOLD ME THAT IF LOST MY XMISSION THEY WOULD COMMUNICATE WITH ME BY ASKING ME TO TURN OR CIRCLE WHEN I HEARD THEM. SHE SHOULD HAVE GIVEN ME THE NEXT FREQ. IF THEY KNEW I COULD HEAR THEM, THEY COULD HAVE GUIDED ME TO A CLOSER ARPT, SUCH AS VERO BEACH AND ALLOWED ME TO DSND OVER THE OCEAN WHERE THEY KNEW THE CEILING WAS AROUND 1500' AND THEN HAD SOMEONE VECTOR ME TO THAT ARPT. I AM GETTING AN ATTACHMENT TO ALLOW ME TO USE THE ACFT ANTENNA WITH MY HAND-HELD. I AM GOING TO ALSO START CARRYING MY HAND-HELD CELLULAR PHONE (WHICH IS NOT LEGAL TO USE IN THE AIR), WHICH I WOULD ONLY USE IN CASE OF SEVERE EMER. AFTER LNDG, I WAS ASKED TO CALL THE SUPVR AT ZMA. HE SAID THAT I SHOULD HAVE LANDED AT TAMIAMI ARPT. I TOLD HIM THAT THERE WAS NO WAY I WAS GOING TO DEVIATE FROM MY CLRED FLT PLAN W/O COMS OR NAV TO A HIGH TFC AREA WITH MANY HIGH OBSTACLES.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 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.