Narrative:

We departed addington on runway 23, and were cruising at 5500 ft on a southeasterly course with the intention of returning to the ewo VOR, then striking a radial from there to iiu VOR, and then to the fum VOR and finally to cincinnati blue ash, our home base. Having passed iiu, and shortly after passing shelbyville, ky, the CL50's owner (and pilot) who was my passenger, noticed that the generator light (no ammeter on the east model) was glowing dimly. Fearing that the battery would run down, we discussed what could be done. We agreed that a brief shutdown of the electrical system might reset the generator circuit. My friend killed the master switch for a moment, then turned it back on. Immediately all the avionics and the interior light went out, and a strong odor of hot electrical circuits filled the cabin. I asked that he turn off the master switch again, which he did. Following emergency procedures I made sure all electrical switches were off, then began to try each switch individually. I also got out my flashlight (red lens) to assure that the plane continued to fly in a proper attitude. The only response I got was the landing light, which worked at the time. All avionics and electrical indicators were off-line. We began a turn to the e-se, toward lexington, ky, the lights of which we could see in the distance. Fuses were checked, and the avionics stack fuse was found to be 'fused' to the receptacle. Using an emergency pair of pliers we got the fuse out, but were unable to try another fuse because the fuse holder cap was damaged by the heat of the fuse blowing. The smell of hot electrical circuits was still present (though diminishing), so I decided to shut down the system again. The engine continued to run smoothly through the event. My friend got out the emergency handheld radio he carries in the plane. Realizing that we couldn't continue without navigation lights or avionics we agreed to call lexington bluegrass tower and to declare an emergency. He handled the radio and relayed messages, which greatly lessened my workload as PIC. We were successful in contacting lex approach to which we announced an emergency, and they gave us a DF steer. Because the transponder wasn't functioning they gave us clear and concise turns to determine our position on their radar. Approach then had me descend to 2500 ft, and vectored me to a position where I would fly a long straight-in approach to runway 22. They were professional and courteous in every way. I can't say enough about their helpfulness, which was both clear and accurate without adding anything to my workload. My friend shared later that they were holding at least 3 planes in the pattern while I landed. In what seemed like hours but was in reality only about 15 mins I had the lights of the runway in sight. Since the landing light had worked before, I switched everything off, then toggled the master and the landing light switch. Turning on the landing light proved fruitless. It immediately blew. The master was again switched off. With the runway lights to guide us down I was given permission to descend to pattern altitude (1800 ft), and then permission to descend at my discretion. I was given clearance to land. The landing was uneventful (though not my best!). ATC personnel realized that we were in a stressful situation and did not make it necessary to change frequencys from approach right through ground control until the FBO tiedown was right in front of us. We even received an encouraging 'well done' by the tower while on taxi to the FBO. Except for a slight case of 'rubber knees' when I exited the plane everything was fine. It was determined that the voltage regulator points somehow welded themselves together. This caused the generator to continuously pump full power to the battery, which cooked dry. The multiplying effect of continued over-charging caused a severe power surge to the electrical system when the master switch was cycled. This caused the entire electrical system to become unusable. Learnings: a handheld radio is an absolute necessity, and while a fire extinguisher was in the plane it was hard to get to. It will now be installed in a much more accessible spot in the cockpit.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DURING A XCOUNTRY FLT AT NIGHT, A PLT AND HIS PAX (ALSO, A PLT) EXPERIENCED A DEPLETING ELECTRICAL SYS AND ELECTRICAL FUMES. THEY FOLLOWED PROCS FOR A GENERATOR FAILURE AND THEN DECLARED AN EMER WITH LEX APCH CTLR. MAINT FOLLOW-UP FOUND THAT THE SOURCE OF THE PROB WAS THE VOLTAGE REGULATOR.

Narrative: WE DEPARTED ADDINGTON ON RWY 23, AND WERE CRUISING AT 5500 FT ON A SOUTHEASTERLY COURSE WITH THE INTENTION OF RETURNING TO THE EWO VOR, THEN STRIKING A RADIAL FROM THERE TO IIU VOR, AND THEN TO THE FUM VOR AND FINALLY TO CINCINNATI BLUE ASH, OUR HOME BASE. HAVING PASSED IIU, AND SHORTLY AFTER PASSING SHELBYVILLE, KY, THE CL50'S OWNER (AND PLT) WHO WAS MY PAX, NOTICED THAT THE GENERATOR LIGHT (NO AMMETER ON THE E MODEL) WAS GLOWING DIMLY. FEARING THAT THE BATTERY WOULD RUN DOWN, WE DISCUSSED WHAT COULD BE DONE. WE AGREED THAT A BRIEF SHUTDOWN OF THE ELECTRICAL SYS MIGHT RESET THE GENERATOR CIRCUIT. MY FRIEND KILLED THE MASTER SWITCH FOR A MOMENT, THEN TURNED IT BACK ON. IMMEDIATELY ALL THE AVIONICS AND THE INTERIOR LIGHT WENT OUT, AND A STRONG ODOR OF HOT ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS FILLED THE CABIN. I ASKED THAT HE TURN OFF THE MASTER SWITCH AGAIN, WHICH HE DID. FOLLOWING EMER PROCS I MADE SURE ALL ELECTRICAL SWITCHES WERE OFF, THEN BEGAN TO TRY EACH SWITCH INDIVIDUALLY. I ALSO GOT OUT MY FLASHLIGHT (RED LENS) TO ASSURE THAT THE PLANE CONTINUED TO FLY IN A PROPER ATTITUDE. THE ONLY RESPONSE I GOT WAS THE LNDG LIGHT, WHICH WORKED AT THE TIME. ALL AVIONICS AND ELECTRICAL INDICATORS WERE OFF-LINE. WE BEGAN A TURN TO THE E-SE, TOWARD LEXINGTON, KY, THE LIGHTS OF WHICH WE COULD SEE IN THE DISTANCE. FUSES WERE CHKED, AND THE AVIONICS STACK FUSE WAS FOUND TO BE 'FUSED' TO THE RECEPTACLE. USING AN EMER PAIR OF PLIERS WE GOT THE FUSE OUT, BUT WERE UNABLE TO TRY ANOTHER FUSE BECAUSE THE FUSE HOLDER CAP WAS DAMAGED BY THE HEAT OF THE FUSE BLOWING. THE SMELL OF HOT ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS WAS STILL PRESENT (THOUGH DIMINISHING), SO I DECIDED TO SHUT DOWN THE SYS AGAIN. THE ENG CONTINUED TO RUN SMOOTHLY THROUGH THE EVENT. MY FRIEND GOT OUT THE EMER HANDHELD RADIO HE CARRIES IN THE PLANE. REALIZING THAT WE COULDN'T CONTINUE WITHOUT NAV LIGHTS OR AVIONICS WE AGREED TO CALL LEXINGTON BLUEGRASS TWR AND TO DECLARE AN EMER. HE HANDLED THE RADIO AND RELAYED MESSAGES, WHICH GREATLY LESSENED MY WORKLOAD AS PIC. WE WERE SUCCESSFUL IN CONTACTING LEX APCH TO WHICH WE ANNOUNCED AN EMER, AND THEY GAVE US A DF STEER. BECAUSE THE XPONDER WASN'T FUNCTIONING THEY GAVE US CLR AND CONCISE TURNS TO DETERMINE OUR POS ON THEIR RADAR. APCH THEN HAD ME DSND TO 2500 FT, AND VECTORED ME TO A POS WHERE I WOULD FLY A LONG STRAIGHT-IN APCH TO RWY 22. THEY WERE PROFESSIONAL AND COURTEOUS IN EVERY WAY. I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT THEIR HELPFULNESS, WHICH WAS BOTH CLR AND ACCURATE WITHOUT ADDING ANYTHING TO MY WORKLOAD. MY FRIEND SHARED LATER THAT THEY WERE HOLDING AT LEAST 3 PLANES IN THE PATTERN WHILE I LANDED. IN WHAT SEEMED LIKE HRS BUT WAS IN REALITY ONLY ABOUT 15 MINS I HAD THE LIGHTS OF THE RWY IN SIGHT. SINCE THE LNDG LIGHT HAD WORKED BEFORE, I SWITCHED EVERYTHING OFF, THEN TOGGLED THE MASTER AND THE LNDG LIGHT SWITCH. TURNING ON THE LNDG LIGHT PROVED FRUITLESS. IT IMMEDIATELY BLEW. THE MASTER WAS AGAIN SWITCHED OFF. WITH THE RWY LIGHTS TO GUIDE US DOWN I WAS GIVEN PERMISSION TO DSND TO PATTERN ALT (1800 FT), AND THEN PERMISSION TO DSND AT MY DISCRETION. I WAS GIVEN CLRNC TO LAND. THE LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL (THOUGH NOT MY BEST!). ATC PERSONNEL REALIZED THAT WE WERE IN A STRESSFUL SIT AND DID NOT MAKE IT NECESSARY TO CHANGE FREQS FROM APCH RIGHT THROUGH GND CTL UNTIL THE FBO TIEDOWN WAS RIGHT IN FRONT OF US. WE EVEN RECEIVED AN ENCOURAGING 'WELL DONE' BY THE TWR WHILE ON TAXI TO THE FBO. EXCEPT FOR A SLIGHT CASE OF 'RUBBER KNEES' WHEN I EXITED THE PLANE EVERYTHING WAS FINE. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE VOLTAGE REGULATOR POINTS SOMEHOW WELDED THEMSELVES TOGETHER. THIS CAUSED THE GENERATOR TO CONTINUOUSLY PUMP FULL PWR TO THE BATTERY, WHICH COOKED DRY. THE MULTIPLYING EFFECT OF CONTINUED OVER-CHARGING CAUSED A SEVERE PWR SURGE TO THE ELECTRICAL SYS WHEN THE MASTER SWITCH WAS CYCLED. THIS CAUSED THE ENTIRE ELECTRICAL SYS TO BECOME UNUSABLE. LEARNINGS: A HANDHELD RADIO IS AN ABSOLUTE NECESSITY, AND WHILE A FIRE EXTINGUISHER WAS IN THE PLANE IT WAS HARD TO GET TO. IT WILL NOW BE INSTALLED IN A MUCH MORE ACCESSIBLE SPOT IN THE COCKPIT.

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.