Narrative:

I was transporting a cap C182 to apa from fnl in order to have maintenance done (the strobes were inoperative and manifold pressure gauge sticking). Operations appeared to be normal until after speaking with tower at bjc. I had chosen to stay clear of denver's class B airspace by flying the established corridor over bjc at 8500 ft MSL. After speaking with bjc control tower, I began a shallow descent while attempting to receive ATIS from apa. Both communication radios began breaking up with a backgnd squeal. Although I was able to receive ATIS, and I was receiving apa tower, I seemed to be not transmitting. I opted to hold over marston lake, 10 NM wnw of apa, in order to sort things out. In an effort to use my hand-held radio, I discovered my battery was low, but an aircraft in the area heard a broken transmission from me. I heard him inform apa tower that there was an aircraft with radio and electrical problems trying to reach them for landing. Apa tower requested the aircraft to relay, but I was unable to get a transmission to him afterwards. The airport didn't seem very busy, so I opted to get light gun signals from apa and continue a plan to land apa. It was fairly important to me to put the aircraft at apa as any maintenance needed to be done there, as instructed by the air force. Staying at 7500 ft MSL and under den class B and above apa tpa of 6800 ft MSL, I proceeded to circle the tower repeatedly without response. Changing distance from the tower, both closer and further, descending to 7000 ft MSL, and making power changes still brought no response from the tower. I was frustrated and disappointed, as I heard the tower being informed that I was 'out there' without radios. From the time I left my holding pattern over marston lake, until I abandoned attempts to alert apa tower by circling +/- 20 mins had elapsed. I proceeded back to fnl with master switch off in an effort to conserve battery to land with flaps at fnl, though I had no electrical power when entering fnl traffic pattern. The flight ended uneventfully with a flapless landing. After driving back to my home, I called apa tower. The staff had changed since the time I was flying, but there had been no report that an aircraft with my needs existed. The tower admitted that if they weren't busy, they often don't do a good job of watching out the window. They acknowledged that my actions were appropriate. P.south. I forgot to mention that when it was obvious that I was no longer transmitting, I squawked 7600, but I believe my transponder was inoperative at this time. The low voltage light never came on until I was circling apa tower.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACFT LOST ELECTRICAL PWR. HAND-HELD WEAK XMITTING AND RECEIVING COULD NOT CONTACT TWR BUT ONLY FOR A BRIEF TIME ANOTHER ACFT. OTHER ACFT RELAYED TO APA TWR AN ACFT WITH WEAK RADIOS WAS TRYING TO LAND. ENTERED CLASS D AIRSPACE WITHOUT CONTACTING TWR IN ORDER TO ATTRACT TWR ATTN FOR A LIGHT SIGNAL. COULD NOT GET LIGHT SIGNAL. DIVERTED BACK TO FNL.

Narrative: I WAS TRANSPORTING A CAP C182 TO APA FROM FNL IN ORDER TO HAVE MAINT DONE (THE STROBES WERE INOP AND MANIFOLD PRESSURE GAUGE STICKING). OPS APPEARED TO BE NORMAL UNTIL AFTER SPEAKING WITH TWR AT BJC. I HAD CHOSEN TO STAY CLR OF DENVER'S CLASS B AIRSPACE BY FLYING THE ESTABLISHED CORRIDOR OVER BJC AT 8500 FT MSL. AFTER SPEAKING WITH BJC CTL TWR, I BEGAN A SHALLOW DSCNT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO RECEIVE ATIS FROM APA. BOTH COM RADIOS BEGAN BREAKING UP WITH A BACKGND SQUEAL. ALTHOUGH I WAS ABLE TO RECEIVE ATIS, AND I WAS RECEIVING APA TWR, I SEEMED TO BE NOT XMITTING. I OPTED TO HOLD OVER MARSTON LAKE, 10 NM WNW OF APA, IN ORDER TO SORT THINGS OUT. IN AN EFFORT TO USE MY HAND-HELD RADIO, I DISCOVERED MY BATTERY WAS LOW, BUT AN ACFT IN THE AREA HEARD A BROKEN XMISSION FROM ME. I HEARD HIM INFORM APA TWR THAT THERE WAS AN ACFT WITH RADIO AND ELECTRICAL PROBS TRYING TO REACH THEM FOR LNDG. APA TWR REQUESTED THE ACFT TO RELAY, BUT I WAS UNABLE TO GET A XMISSION TO HIM AFTERWARDS. THE ARPT DIDN'T SEEM VERY BUSY, SO I OPTED TO GET LIGHT GUN SIGNALS FROM APA AND CONTINUE A PLAN TO LAND APA. IT WAS FAIRLY IMPORTANT TO ME TO PUT THE ACFT AT APA AS ANY MAINT NEEDED TO BE DONE THERE, AS INSTRUCTED BY THE AIR FORCE. STAYING AT 7500 FT MSL AND UNDER DEN CLASS B AND ABOVE APA TPA OF 6800 FT MSL, I PROCEEDED TO CIRCLE THE TWR REPEATEDLY WITHOUT RESPONSE. CHANGING DISTANCE FROM THE TWR, BOTH CLOSER AND FURTHER, DSNDING TO 7000 FT MSL, AND MAKING PWR CHANGES STILL BROUGHT NO RESPONSE FROM THE TWR. I WAS FRUSTRATED AND DISAPPOINTED, AS I HEARD THE TWR BEING INFORMED THAT I WAS 'OUT THERE' WITHOUT RADIOS. FROM THE TIME I LEFT MY HOLDING PATTERN OVER MARSTON LAKE, UNTIL I ABANDONED ATTEMPTS TO ALERT APA TWR BY CIRCLING +/- 20 MINS HAD ELAPSED. I PROCEEDED BACK TO FNL WITH MASTER SWITCH OFF IN AN EFFORT TO CONSERVE BATTERY TO LAND WITH FLAPS AT FNL, THOUGH I HAD NO ELECTRICAL PWR WHEN ENTERING FNL TFC PATTERN. THE FLT ENDED UNEVENTFULLY WITH A FLAPLESS LNDG. AFTER DRIVING BACK TO MY HOME, I CALLED APA TWR. THE STAFF HAD CHANGED SINCE THE TIME I WAS FLYING, BUT THERE HAD BEEN NO RPT THAT AN ACFT WITH MY NEEDS EXISTED. THE TWR ADMITTED THAT IF THEY WEREN'T BUSY, THEY OFTEN DON'T DO A GOOD JOB OF WATCHING OUT THE WINDOW. THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT MY ACTIONS WERE APPROPRIATE. P.S. I FORGOT TO MENTION THAT WHEN IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT I WAS NO LONGER XMITTING, I SQUAWKED 7600, BUT I BELIEVE MY XPONDER WAS INOP AT THIS TIME. THE LOW VOLTAGE LIGHT NEVER CAME ON UNTIL I WAS CIRCLING APA TWR.

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.