Small aircraft has electrical failure. Manually extend gear.

Attributes
ACN	201000
Time
Date	199202
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : mmu
State Reference	NJ
Altitude	msl bound lower : 2000 msl bound upper : 2000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : mmu
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Small Aircraft, Low Wing, 2 Eng, Retractable Gear
Flight Phase	climbout : initial climbout : takeoff landing other
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : commercial
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 3 flight time total : 1200 flight time type : 300
ASRS Report	201000
Person 2
Affiliation	Other
Function	observation : passenger
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : commercial
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical
Independent Detector	other other : unspecified cockpit
Resolutory Action	flight crew : declared emergency flight crew : overcame equipment problem
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft

Narrative:

After a normal runup and takeoff, I put the gear into the up position. A few seconds later, the pilot/passenger in the right seat said to look at the radio displays, the segments of the display were fading and disappearing. Very quickly, the displays went off. We had a total electrical failure. My first thought was to put the gear down since we were close to the airport, so I put the gear switch into the down position. Since the lights had little or no power, there was no indication. Next I went through the electrical failure procedure to no avail. We left the area to try to recover the electrical power. Using the written procedures in the manual to make sure I didn't miss anything, we were unable to recover electrical power. We then elected to make sure the gear was down using a manual extension. Since I never did it before, I pushed the handle until I thought it was at the end of travel. Using a portable aircraft transceiver, we contacted a friend who alerted morristown tower we were coming in. At morristown, the tower couldn't hear us, but we could hear them and we acknowledged that we wanted a low pass. We did a low pass and tower advised us that the gear was slanted. I tried the manual extension again, pushing harder and tower told us on second pass that gear appeared down. We landed normally. Subsequent inspection by repair shop showed intermittent master switch, which will be replaced immediately.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA HAS ELECTRICAL FAILURE. MANUALLY EXTEND GEAR.

Narrative: AFTER A NORMAL RUNUP AND TKOF, I PUT THE GEAR INTO THE UP POS. A FEW SECONDS LATER, THE PLT/PAX IN THE R SEAT SAID TO LOOK AT THE RADIO DISPLAYS, THE SEGMENTS OF THE DISPLAY WERE FADING AND DISAPPEARING. VERY QUICKLY, THE DISPLAYS WENT OFF. WE HAD A TOTAL ELECTRICAL FAILURE. MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS TO PUT THE GEAR DOWN SINCE WE WERE CLOSE TO THE ARPT, SO I PUT THE GEAR SWITCH INTO THE DOWN POS. SINCE THE LIGHTS HAD LITTLE OR NO PWR, THERE WAS NO INDICATION. NEXT I WENT THROUGH THE ELECTRICAL FAILURE PROC TO NO AVAIL. WE LEFT THE AREA TO TRY TO RECOVER THE ELECTRICAL PWR. USING THE WRITTEN PROCS IN THE MANUAL TO MAKE SURE I DIDN'T MISS ANYTHING, WE WERE UNABLE TO RECOVER ELECTRICAL PWR. WE THEN ELECTED TO MAKE SURE THE GEAR WAS DOWN USING A MANUAL EXTENSION. SINCE I NEVER DID IT BEFORE, I PUSHED THE HANDLE UNTIL I THOUGHT IT WAS AT THE END OF TRAVEL. USING A PORTABLE ACFT TRANSCEIVER, WE CONTACTED A FRIEND WHO ALERTED MORRISTOWN TWR WE WERE COMING IN. AT MORRISTOWN, THE TWR COULDN'T HEAR US, BUT WE COULD HEAR THEM AND WE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT WE WANTED A LOW PASS. WE DID A LOW PASS AND TWR ADVISED US THAT THE GEAR WAS SLANTED. I TRIED THE MANUAL EXTENSION AGAIN, PUSHING HARDER AND TWR TOLD US ON SECOND PASS THAT GEAR APPEARED DOWN. WE LANDED NORMALLY. SUBSEQUENT INSPECTION BY REPAIR SHOP SHOWED INTERMITTENT MASTER SWITCH, WHICH WILL BE REPLACED IMMEDIATELY.

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.