Narrative:

On apr/tue/97 I departed falcon field, mesa, az, on a pleasure flight to return my aircraft to its home base, deer valley airport in north phoenix, az, at approximately XA40 hours. 10 or 15 mins into the 25 min flight, I observed the voltmeter reading deep in the yellow indicating the battery was rapidly discharging and nearly depleted. I checked all breakers, turned off all but the 2 communication/VOR radios and the LORAN, the principal means of navigation for the flight. I also took the precaution to lower the gear, which is electric. My route of flight placed me above the class D airspaces east and north of phoenix and below the class B phoenix airspace. I copied the deer valley ATIS and listened to the north tower frequency as I intended to approach from the northeast. Deer valley was busy. Approximately 11 mi ene of deer valley, I made my initial callup with position and ATIS information. I received no reply and the radio was quiet. I observed that the led frequency indicators were dark but the LORAN was still functioning and indicating 10 mi and a bearing of 230 degrees to the airport. I turned to 230 degrees and switched to the second radio. Again, my call was not answered. I observed the LORAN recycle by itself and then go blank at this time. Total power failure. Thankfully, the gear was already down. The winds were light from the west, the sky crystal clear, and visibility was 50 mi. The sun was low in the sky. As I turned to 230 degrees, my forward visibility was greatly limited by the extremely bright sunlight entering the front windshield. I flew on this heading for approximately 5 mins but could not find the airport. I decided to fly east and pick up a landmark I knew well and follow the power line back to the airfield. On my return flight I was able to find landmarks around the field and then the airfield itself. I overflew it, did a 180 degree turn, and entered behind traffic on a right downwind to runway 25R. There were at least 3 other aircraft in the pattern for runway 25R as I turned from base to final. I did not observe any aircraft in the pattern for runway 25L but did see 2 single engine aircraft preparing for departure. Onfinal, I observed a green light from the tower. Even though I was looking directly into the sun on the landing, the light was fairly easy to see as the tower had the sun shades on the west facing windows down which produced a dark backgnd in the tower. I proceeded to land long as I was both a bit high and fast and I was carrying a little more power than normal knowing that should the engine stop, there would be no restart. I was able to slow and make the last turnoff on runway 25R, a 4500 ft runway, 75 ft wide. After I turned off the runway, I came to a complete stop at the taxiway intersection crossing runway 25L. I looked at the tower for the light signal to cross runway 25L. Mostly what came back from the westward facing windows was reflected golden sunlight and glare. I could not see the front (north) facing tower window clearly as it was at an oblique angle. As I waited and observed the tower I thought I saw several flashes of light which was of a light hue. I could not tell for certain if the color was white, yellow or green because of all of the reflecting sunlight. The flashes of light I saw were definitely not red, but appeared to be a light colored hue. It may have only been dancing sunlight off of the windows or something shinny inside the tower. I looked to my left down runway 25L and saw no traffic. As previously stated, I had seen 2 light aircraft lined up on the taxiway for takeoff as I landed but could not see them from my position at the intersection which was nearly a mi away from the approach end of runway 25L. I knew that the airport was very busy. I thought perhaps the tower operator, knowing my no radio condition, was holding all traffic until I could get clear of runway 25L. Certainly in the time it took me to land, the plane on runway 25L hold short line could have departed. Given that thought, and the amount of traffic in the air (there were at least 3 planes behind me as I turned base), and the lack of observed traffic on runway 25L, and that I could not make out a clear light from the tower but had seen what appeared to be several light colored flashes coming from thetwr, and now I was concerned that the engine might stall and would not be able to restart it, I decided to cross and get out of the way before someone came up behind me. I applied ample power and sprinted as quickly across the departure end (approximately 6000 ft from the approach end of runway 25L, which is 8000 ft long) of the 100 ft wide runway as possible. I proceeded to park in my assigned sunshade, tied the aircraft down and walked to the tower to explain to the tower operator the problem and thank him for his alertness and assistance. At that time he informed me that I had done everything in a very acceptable manner except he was shinning a red light telling me to hold at the intersection for landing traffic. I did not observe the traffic roll by me while I was taxiing downwind on the south side of the runway so it must have turned off the runway long before I would have become a factor. However, it appears that because of the sunlight reflecting from the tower windows and sun screens I was unable to discern the red light from the tower telling me to hold my position on the taxiway even though I had come to a full stop and was searching the tower for the taxi light. I looked at the tower first through my sunglasses and then removed them and looked again. Perhaps the flashes of light I did observe was the sunlight reflecting from the lens of the light gun. I do not know. I do know I observed no traffic and crossed the runway as expediently as possible.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: THE PLT OF AN MO21 LOST HIS ELECTRICAL SYS AND MADE A NORDO LNDG AT DVT, BUT CROSSED AN ACTIVE RWY AGAINST A RED LIGHT FROM THE TWR. UNABLE TO SEE LIGHT GUN SIGNAL DUE TO POS OF SUN.

Narrative: ON APR/TUE/97 I DEPARTED FALCON FIELD, MESA, AZ, ON A PLEASURE FLT TO RETURN MY ACFT TO ITS HOME BASE, DEER VALLEY ARPT IN NORTH PHOENIX, AZ, AT APPROX XA40 HRS. 10 OR 15 MINS INTO THE 25 MIN FLT, I OBSERVED THE VOLTMETER READING DEEP IN THE YELLOW INDICATING THE BATTERY WAS RAPIDLY DISCHARGING AND NEARLY DEPLETED. I CHKED ALL BREAKERS, TURNED OFF ALL BUT THE 2 COM/VOR RADIOS AND THE LORAN, THE PRINCIPAL MEANS OF NAV FOR THE FLT. I ALSO TOOK THE PRECAUTION TO LOWER THE GEAR, WHICH IS ELECTRIC. MY RTE OF FLT PLACED ME ABOVE THE CLASS D AIRSPACES E AND N OF PHOENIX AND BELOW THE CLASS B PHOENIX AIRSPACE. I COPIED THE DEER VALLEY ATIS AND LISTENED TO THE N TWR FREQ AS I INTENDED TO APCH FROM THE NE. DEER VALLEY WAS BUSY. APPROX 11 MI ENE OF DEER VALLEY, I MADE MY INITIAL CALLUP WITH POS AND ATIS INFO. I RECEIVED NO REPLY AND THE RADIO WAS QUIET. I OBSERVED THAT THE LED FREQ INDICATORS WERE DARK BUT THE LORAN WAS STILL FUNCTIONING AND INDICATING 10 MI AND A BEARING OF 230 DEGS TO THE ARPT. I TURNED TO 230 DEGS AND SWITCHED TO THE SECOND RADIO. AGAIN, MY CALL WAS NOT ANSWERED. I OBSERVED THE LORAN RECYCLE BY ITSELF AND THEN GO BLANK AT THIS TIME. TOTAL PWR FAILURE. THANKFULLY, THE GEAR WAS ALREADY DOWN. THE WINDS WERE LIGHT FROM THE W, THE SKY CRYSTAL CLR, AND VISIBILITY WAS 50 MI. THE SUN WAS LOW IN THE SKY. AS I TURNED TO 230 DEGS, MY FORWARD VISIBILITY WAS GREATLY LIMITED BY THE EXTREMELY BRIGHT SUNLIGHT ENTERING THE FRONT WINDSHIELD. I FLEW ON THIS HDG FOR APPROX 5 MINS BUT COULD NOT FIND THE ARPT. I DECIDED TO FLY E AND PICK UP A LANDMARK I KNEW WELL AND FOLLOW THE PWR LINE BACK TO THE AIRFIELD. ON MY RETURN FLT I WAS ABLE TO FIND LANDMARKS AROUND THE FIELD AND THEN THE AIRFIELD ITSELF. I OVERFLEW IT, DID A 180 DEG TURN, AND ENTERED BEHIND TFC ON A R DOWNWIND TO RWY 25R. THERE WERE AT LEAST 3 OTHER ACFT IN THE PATTERN FOR RWY 25R AS I TURNED FROM BASE TO FINAL. I DID NOT OBSERVE ANY ACFT IN THE PATTERN FOR RWY 25L BUT DID SEE 2 SINGLE ENG ACFT PREPARING FOR DEP. ONFINAL, I OBSERVED A GREEN LIGHT FROM THE TWR. EVEN THOUGH I WAS LOOKING DIRECTLY INTO THE SUN ON THE LNDG, THE LIGHT WAS FAIRLY EASY TO SEE AS THE TWR HAD THE SUN SHADES ON THE W FACING WINDOWS DOWN WHICH PRODUCED A DARK BACKGND IN THE TWR. I PROCEEDED TO LAND LONG AS I WAS BOTH A BIT HIGH AND FAST AND I WAS CARRYING A LITTLE MORE PWR THAN NORMAL KNOWING THAT SHOULD THE ENG STOP, THERE WOULD BE NO RESTART. I WAS ABLE TO SLOW AND MAKE THE LAST TURNOFF ON RWY 25R, A 4500 FT RWY, 75 FT WIDE. AFTER I TURNED OFF THE RWY, I CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP AT THE TXWY INTXN XING RWY 25L. I LOOKED AT THE TWR FOR THE LIGHT SIGNAL TO CROSS RWY 25L. MOSTLY WHAT CAME BACK FROM THE WESTWARD FACING WINDOWS WAS REFLECTED GOLDEN SUNLIGHT AND GLARE. I COULD NOT SEE THE FRONT (N) FACING TWR WINDOW CLRLY AS IT WAS AT AN OBLIQUE ANGLE. AS I WAITED AND OBSERVED THE TWR I THOUGHT I SAW SEVERAL FLASHES OF LIGHT WHICH WAS OF A LIGHT HUE. I COULD NOT TELL FOR CERTAIN IF THE COLOR WAS WHITE, YELLOW OR GREEN BECAUSE OF ALL OF THE REFLECTING SUNLIGHT. THE FLASHES OF LIGHT I SAW WERE DEFINITELY NOT RED, BUT APPEARED TO BE A LIGHT COLORED HUE. IT MAY HAVE ONLY BEEN DANCING SUNLIGHT OFF OF THE WINDOWS OR SOMETHING SHINNY INSIDE THE TWR. I LOOKED TO MY L DOWN RWY 25L AND SAW NO TFC. AS PREVIOUSLY STATED, I HAD SEEN 2 LIGHT ACFT LINED UP ON THE TXWY FOR TKOF AS I LANDED BUT COULD NOT SEE THEM FROM MY POS AT THE INTXN WHICH WAS NEARLY A MI AWAY FROM THE APCH END OF RWY 25L. I KNEW THAT THE ARPT WAS VERY BUSY. I THOUGHT PERHAPS THE TWR OPERATOR, KNOWING MY NO RADIO CONDITION, WAS HOLDING ALL TFC UNTIL I COULD GET CLR OF RWY 25L. CERTAINLY IN THE TIME IT TOOK ME TO LAND, THE PLANE ON RWY 25L HOLD SHORT LINE COULD HAVE DEPARTED. GIVEN THAT THOUGHT, AND THE AMOUNT OF TFC IN THE AIR (THERE WERE AT LEAST 3 PLANES BEHIND ME AS I TURNED BASE), AND THE LACK OF OBSERVED TFC ON RWY 25L, AND THAT I COULD NOT MAKE OUT A CLR LIGHT FROM THE TWR BUT HAD SEEN WHAT APPEARED TO BE SEVERAL LIGHT COLORED FLASHES COMING FROM THETWR, AND NOW I WAS CONCERNED THAT THE ENG MIGHT STALL AND WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO RESTART IT, I DECIDED TO CROSS AND GET OUT OF THE WAY BEFORE SOMEONE CAME UP BEHIND ME. I APPLIED AMPLE PWR AND SPRINTED AS QUICKLY ACROSS THE DEP END (APPROX 6000 FT FROM THE APCH END OF RWY 25L, WHICH IS 8000 FT LONG) OF THE 100 FT WIDE RWY AS POSSIBLE. I PROCEEDED TO PARK IN MY ASSIGNED SUNSHADE, TIED THE ACFT DOWN AND WALKED TO THE TWR TO EXPLAIN TO THE TWR OPERATOR THE PROB AND THANK HIM FOR HIS ALERTNESS AND ASSISTANCE. AT THAT TIME HE INFORMED ME THAT I HAD DONE EVERYTHING IN A VERY ACCEPTABLE MANNER EXCEPT HE WAS SHINNING A RED LIGHT TELLING ME TO HOLD AT THE INTXN FOR LNDG TFC. I DID NOT OBSERVE THE TFC ROLL BY ME WHILE I WAS TAXIING DOWNWIND ON THE S SIDE OF THE RWY SO IT MUST HAVE TURNED OFF THE RWY LONG BEFORE I WOULD HAVE BECOME A FACTOR. HOWEVER, IT APPEARS THAT BECAUSE OF THE SUNLIGHT REFLECTING FROM THE TWR WINDOWS AND SUN SCREENS I WAS UNABLE TO DISCERN THE RED LIGHT FROM THE TWR TELLING ME TO HOLD MY POS ON THE TXWY EVEN THOUGH I HAD COME TO A FULL STOP AND WAS SEARCHING THE TWR FOR THE TAXI LIGHT. I LOOKED AT THE TWR FIRST THROUGH MY SUNGLASSES AND THEN REMOVED THEM AND LOOKED AGAIN. PERHAPS THE FLASHES OF LIGHT I DID OBSERVE WAS THE SUNLIGHT REFLECTING FROM THE LENS OF THE LIGHT GUN. I DO NOT KNOW. I DO KNOW I OBSERVED NO TFC AND CROSSED THE RWY AS EXPEDIENTLY AS POSSIBLE.

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.