Narrative:

I was flying a seneca PA-34-200 in van nuys (ca) traffic pattern for some touch and goes. I had electrical failure when I was already in landing confign (with the gear down) but I wasn't cleared to land. So I came back in downwind, 500 ft above the traffic pattern and I made a 360 degree turn abeam the vny tower waiting for lights from the tower. I was there for almost 15 min but they didn't care about me, so I decided to land in santa paula airport that is an airport 25 mi far away from van nuys and is uncontrolled. I flew all the way from vny to szp with the gear down because the electrical failure happened when the gear were down already and I could see the nose gear from the mirror. When I was in upwind in santa paula airport I pulled also the emergency gear down because with the electrical failure even if I saw the front gear down from the mirror I didn't know what was going on with the electrical gear system. I did the approach and when I landed I first rolled out with the gears, abut after 2 seconds they came back in up position and I made the rest of the landing without gears. I know that incidents like this can happen (the gear weren't locked in the right position and I don't know why). I landed and I tried to have control of the airplane for as much as I could and nothing happened to me and the passenger that was with me. The only thing I want to say is that in a situation like this I would prefer to land in a controled airport because something could happen and in that case I could have more assistance. I don't understand why vny tower ignored me.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ELECTRICAL FAILURE WITH GEAR DOWN. BEFORE LNDG GEAR RETRACTED FOR UNKNOWN REASON. GEAR UP LNDG.

Narrative: I WAS FLYING A SENECA PA-34-200 IN VAN NUYS (CA) TFC PATTERN FOR SOME TOUCH AND GOES. I HAD ELECTRICAL FAILURE WHEN I WAS ALREADY IN LNDG CONFIGN (WITH THE GEAR DOWN) BUT I WASN'T CLRED TO LAND. SO I CAME BACK IN DOWNWIND, 500 FT ABOVE THE TFC PATTERN AND I MADE A 360 DEG TURN ABEAM THE VNY TWR WAITING FOR LIGHTS FROM THE TWR. I WAS THERE FOR ALMOST 15 MIN BUT THEY DIDN'T CARE ABOUT ME, SO I DECIDED TO LAND IN SANTA PAULA ARPT THAT IS AN ARPT 25 MI FAR AWAY FROM VAN NUYS AND IS UNCTLED. I FLEW ALL THE WAY FROM VNY TO SZP WITH THE GEAR DOWN BECAUSE THE ELECTRICAL FAILURE HAPPENED WHEN THE GEAR WERE DOWN ALREADY AND I COULD SEE THE NOSE GEAR FROM THE MIRROR. WHEN I WAS IN UPWIND IN SANTA PAULA ARPT I PULLED ALSO THE EMER GEAR DOWN BECAUSE WITH THE ELECTRICAL FAILURE EVEN IF I SAW THE FRONT GEAR DOWN FROM THE MIRROR I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH THE ELECTRICAL GEAR SYS. I DID THE APCH AND WHEN I LANDED I FIRST ROLLED OUT WITH THE GEARS, ABUT AFTER 2 SECONDS THEY CAME BACK IN UP POS AND I MADE THE REST OF THE LNDG WITHOUT GEARS. I KNOW THAT INCIDENTS LIKE THIS CAN HAPPEN (THE GEAR WEREN'T LOCKED IN THE RIGHT POS AND I DON'T KNOW WHY). I LANDED AND I TRIED TO HAVE CTL OF THE AIRPLANE FOR AS MUCH AS I COULD AND NOTHING HAPPENED TO ME AND THE PAX THAT WAS WITH ME. THE ONLY THING I WANT TO SAY IS THAT IN A SIT LIKE THIS I WOULD PREFER TO LAND IN A CTLED ARPT BECAUSE SOMETHING COULD HAPPEN AND IN THAT CASE I COULD HAVE MORE ASSISTANCE. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY VNY TWR IGNORED ME.

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.