Narrative:

On sun, MM/dd, I started out on a day trip from FMC to ywg. We were being brought into the winnipeg TCA by winnipeg approach when they questioned our transponder readout. We were over a town 30 mi to the southeast of winnipeg, on V175, called steinbach. We confirmed out altitude and position because we visually had steinbach. 2 mi out they called our base turn and advised a gear check. We replied and again they acknowledged our reply. 1 mi out we turned final and were cleared to land. They issued taxi instructions to the custom's secured area and called another gear check. Once clear of the runway I pointed the nose to the tower and flashed the landing light. They responded with a flashing green light gun signal. I proceeded to the custom's area. After dealing with customs, which took a whole 10 mins, I turned the plane's battery and avionic's system on and gave the line guy a call. Everything worked well. After conducting our business in winnipeg, we talked with the tower guys and the airport manager about NORDO departure instructions. We were issued taxi instructions, and given a clearance to climb to 2000 ft and to maintain runway heading for 22 mi. Then contact center for higher. On our taxi to the active, we were talking to clearance delivery and ground without a problem. We departed and were held down at the lower altitude for 10 mins to see if the radios would still work once we were airborne. The tower guys were skeptical. The WX was not allowing us to stay VFR at 2000 ft. We were down to 1000 ft AGL. Talking to the controllers before we taxied out, we were good to 1000 ft AGL for the 22 mi they wanted us held down. But we hit a wall of precipitation and decided to go back. No radio xmissions of ours were answered. We turned off the battery for 5 mins and tried to get one strong transmission out. 7700 on the transponder and 121.5 on the frequency. Nothing. Arriving back at the international terminal, we circled the airport once at a 5 mi distance, hoping to get a light gun signal and observe traffic. No traffic on any runway, but a bunch maneuvering on the ground. We turned in at 1000 ft above the pattern altitude and intended to overfly our departure runway. In doing so, a mdt was departing and we went nose to nose with him. He never saw us in the haze, and we didn't have a landing light to show him of our presence. We did maneuver abruptly to stay out of his flight path. We departed about 40 mins prior to our NORDO return. We departed runway 18. When we came back we overflew runway 18 at pattern plus 1000. But now that the departure runway was 36, we were right in the face of all the departures. We got a green flashing signal from the tower when we maneuvered out of the way of the departing mtt. It turned out that the battery and the alternator were bad. Putting a new alternator in still only gave me a half needles width above 0 this time. The tower guys suspected an electrical failure. I thought it was a ground scatter problem. I should have listened to the experience level of the professionals. Another bad call on my part was continuing VFR after the radios were known to be dead. The WX was moving in and we were at 1000 ft AGL.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN SMA CTLR PLT HAD A COMPLETE ELECTRICAL FAILURE WHILE AT A FOREIGN ARPT.

Narrative: ON SUN, MM/DD, I STARTED OUT ON A DAY TRIP FROM FMC TO YWG. WE WERE BEING BROUGHT INTO THE WINNIPEG TCA BY WINNIPEG APCH WHEN THEY QUESTIONED OUR TRANSPONDER READOUT. WE WERE OVER A TOWN 30 MI TO THE SE OF WINNIPEG, ON V175, CALLED STEINBACH. WE CONFIRMED OUT ALT AND POS BECAUSE WE VISUALLY HAD STEINBACH. 2 MI OUT THEY CALLED OUR BASE TURN AND ADVISED A GEAR CHK. WE REPLIED AND AGAIN THEY ACKNOWLEDGED OUR REPLY. 1 MI OUT WE TURNED FINAL AND WERE CLRED TO LAND. THEY ISSUED TAXI INSTRUCTIONS TO THE CUSTOM'S SECURED AREA AND CALLED ANOTHER GEAR CHK. ONCE CLR OF THE RWY I POINTED THE NOSE TO THE TWR AND FLASHED THE LNDG LIGHT. THEY RESPONDED WITH A FLASHING GREEN LIGHT GUN SIGNAL. I PROCEEDED TO THE CUSTOM'S AREA. AFTER DEALING WITH CUSTOMS, WHICH TOOK A WHOLE 10 MINS, I TURNED THE PLANE'S BATTERY AND AVIONIC'S SYS ON AND GAVE THE LINE GUY A CALL. EVERYTHING WORKED WELL. AFTER CONDUCTING OUR BUSINESS IN WINNIPEG, WE TALKED WITH THE TWR GUYS AND THE ARPT MGR ABOUT NORDO DEP INSTRUCTIONS. WE WERE ISSUED TAXI INSTRUCTIONS, AND GIVEN A CLRNC TO CLB TO 2000 FT AND TO MAINTAIN RWY HDG FOR 22 MI. THEN CONTACT CTR FOR HIGHER. ON OUR TAXI TO THE ACTIVE, WE WERE TALKING TO CLRNC DELIVERY AND GND WITHOUT A PROBLEM. WE DEPARTED AND WERE HELD DOWN AT THE LOWER ALT FOR 10 MINS TO SEE IF THE RADIOS WOULD STILL WORK ONCE WE WERE AIRBORNE. THE TWR GUYS WERE SKEPTICAL. THE WX WAS NOT ALLOWING US TO STAY VFR AT 2000 FT. WE WERE DOWN TO 1000 FT AGL. TALKING TO THE CTLRS BEFORE WE TAXIED OUT, WE WERE GOOD TO 1000 FT AGL FOR THE 22 MI THEY WANTED US HELD DOWN. BUT WE HIT A WALL OF PRECIP AND DECIDED TO GO BACK. NO RADIO XMISSIONS OF OURS WERE ANSWERED. WE TURNED OFF THE BATTERY FOR 5 MINS AND TRIED TO GET ONE STRONG XMISSION OUT. 7700 ON THE TRANSPONDER AND 121.5 ON THE FREQ. NOTHING. ARRIVING BACK AT THE INTL TERMINAL, WE CIRCLED THE ARPT ONCE AT A 5 MI DISTANCE, HOPING TO GET A LIGHT GUN SIGNAL AND OBSERVE TFC. NO TFC ON ANY RWY, BUT A BUNCH MANEUVERING ON THE GND. WE TURNED IN AT 1000 FT ABOVE THE PATTERN ALT AND INTENDED TO OVERFLY OUR DEP RWY. IN DOING SO, A MDT WAS DEPARTING AND WE WENT NOSE TO NOSE WITH HIM. HE NEVER SAW US IN THE HAZE, AND WE DIDN'T HAVE A LNDG LIGHT TO SHOW HIM OF OUR PRESENCE. WE DID MANEUVER ABRUPTLY TO STAY OUT OF HIS FLT PATH. WE DEPARTED ABOUT 40 MINS PRIOR TO OUR NORDO RETURN. WE DEPARTED RWY 18. WHEN WE CAME BACK WE OVERFLEW RWY 18 AT PATTERN PLUS 1000. BUT NOW THAT THE DEP RWY WAS 36, WE WERE RIGHT IN THE FACE OF ALL THE DEPS. WE GOT A GREEN FLASHING SIGNAL FROM THE TWR WHEN WE MANEUVERED OUT OF THE WAY OF THE DEPARTING MTT. IT TURNED OUT THAT THE BATTERY AND THE ALTERNATOR WERE BAD. PUTTING A NEW ALTERNATOR IN STILL ONLY GAVE ME A HALF NEEDLES WIDTH ABOVE 0 THIS TIME. THE TWR GUYS SUSPECTED AN ELECTRICAL FAILURE. I THOUGHT IT WAS A GND SCATTER PROBLEM. I SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO THE EXPERIENCE LEVEL OF THE PROFESSIONALS. ANOTHER BAD CALL ON MY PART WAS CONTINUING VFR AFTER THE RADIOS WERE KNOWN TO BE DEAD. THE WX WAS MOVING IN AND WE WERE AT 1000 FT AGL.

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.