Narrative:

Heading 350 degrees, 8000 ft, south of hours. Familiar broken cumulus with small scud below for the past 30 mi, frequent ground contact. Canceled IFR to look for holes over lakes/46A. No build-ups in sight, everything seemed normal, except last 2 handoffs were late. Perhaps that was the first sign of the problems to come. Called (jax/atl) twice about who I should be talking to. Went down through the broken layer (first mistake), to 6000 ft to find the expected thin scattered layer of scud at 3000-4000 ft in fog. Turned west toward hours and the airport (second mistake), which brought me under a solid overcast and worsening ground contact. The trap was sprung. Turbulence and driving rain came suddenly, giving all a very bad time. Didn't dare attempt a turn so called for clearance, climbed in heavy rain and wind, and proceeded to cha with a now-sluggish VOR needle. Soon after switching to cha approach, LORAN went red. Didn't hear expected course/altitude changes, called approach and found radios dead. Squawked 7700 for 1 min and forgot it in the ensuing flap of impending complete radio/navigation failure. Continued on, hoping the half dead navigation could find cha. It couldn't. Turned north, to keep out of the city and approachs to the south, where I could descend in the valley. Flags jumped, ground and river were visible again so we went down, got located and headed for cha using an unfamiliar new GPS. En route, saw dayton and landed. Passenger ill and shaken, pilot exhausted and contrite for messing up airspace and placing passenger in what could have been a disaster situation. Even familiar marginal WX can be a trap!!

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RPTR HAS ELECTRICAL PROBS CAUSING RADIO COM AND NAV PROBS AFTER CANCELING IFR IN MARGINAL CONDITIONS. RPTR DECLARES AN EMER SQUAWKING 7700 AND GOES IMC.

Narrative: HDG 350 DEGS, 8000 FT, S OF HRS. FAMILIAR BROKEN CUMULUS WITH SMALL SCUD BELOW FOR THE PAST 30 MI, FREQUENT GND CONTACT. CANCELED IFR TO LOOK FOR HOLES OVER LAKES/46A. NO BUILD-UPS IN SIGHT, EVERYTHING SEEMED NORMAL, EXCEPT LAST 2 HDOFS WERE LATE. PERHAPS THAT WAS THE FIRST SIGN OF THE PROBS TO COME. CALLED (JAX/ATL) TWICE ABOUT WHO I SHOULD BE TALKING TO. WENT DOWN THROUGH THE BROKEN LAYER (FIRST MISTAKE), TO 6000 FT TO FIND THE EXPECTED THIN SCATTERED LAYER OF SCUD AT 3000-4000 FT IN FOG. TURNED W TOWARD HRS AND THE ARPT (SECOND MISTAKE), WHICH BROUGHT ME UNDER A SOLID OVCST AND WORSENING GND CONTACT. THE TRAP WAS SPRUNG. TURB AND DRIVING RAIN CAME SUDDENLY, GIVING ALL A VERY BAD TIME. DIDN'T DARE ATTEMPT A TURN SO CALLED FOR CLRNC, CLBED IN HVY RAIN AND WIND, AND PROCEEDED TO CHA WITH A NOW-SLUGGISH VOR NEEDLE. SOON AFTER SWITCHING TO CHA APCH, LORAN WENT RED. DIDN'T HEAR EXPECTED COURSE/ALT CHANGES, CALLED APCH AND FOUND RADIOS DEAD. SQUAWKED 7700 FOR 1 MIN AND FORGOT IT IN THE ENSUING FLAP OF IMPENDING COMPLETE RADIO/NAV FAILURE. CONTINUED ON, HOPING THE HALF DEAD NAV COULD FIND CHA. IT COULDN'T. TURNED N, TO KEEP OUT OF THE CITY AND APCHS TO THE S, WHERE I COULD DSND IN THE VALLEY. FLAGS JUMPED, GND AND RIVER WERE VISIBLE AGAIN SO WE WENT DOWN, GOT LOCATED AND HEADED FOR CHA USING AN UNFAMILIAR NEW GPS. ENRTE, SAW DAYTON AND LANDED. PAX ILL AND SHAKEN, PLT EXHAUSTED AND CONTRITE FOR MESSING UP AIRSPACE AND PLACING PAX IN WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN A DISASTER SIT. EVEN FAMILIAR MARGINAL WX CAN BE A TRAP!!

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.