Narrative:

Purchased the bonanza in brunswick, GA, on may/xa/97. Upon startup, found that the battery was dead. Maintenance staff brought out a gpu and jumped the plane. All seemed fine, so I resumed the flight. About 5 mi north of port of columbus, I detected an acrid smell in the cockpit and noticed that the ammeter showed battery had failed to hold a charge. I switched off the generator, turned off non essential power, closed the air vents and called control and requested permission to land immediately. Control cleared me for the landing. My partner and I began shutting down system and configuring for the landing. Landed the plane fine, notified the line crew of the problem and called the tower from the phone in the FBO to let them know we were ok and that I was having the plane's electrical system checked. On initial glance, the maintenance crew advised that we leave the plane for a more thorough chkout. My partner and I rented a car and returned home to dayton. Maintenance advised me that they had found significant problems with the electrical system and recommended that I take the plane to xyz, the local beechcraft service center for a maintenance check. Xyz is located at ZZZ airport. In the meantime, they again tethered the wiring and charged the battery. I experienced significant trouble getting a good communications channel to clearance. I could receive, however, clearance had trouble understanding my transmission due to static and intermittent loss of signal. After receiving my clearance, I taxied to runway 10R as assigned and performed a system check with the runup. All system checked. I switched to tower to advise that I was ready to depart and again experienced trouble transmitting a clear signal. After departure, I took the assigned runway heading and started my assigned climb to 4500 ft. The tower called to advise a course change to 180 degrees, however both transmit and receive signals failed. I switched between both radio sets in an attempt to get a clear signal, then noticed that the battery had again begun a significant discharge. I picked up a call from departure directing me to turn immediately to 180 degrees. I responded with the course change and requested a return to the field as I was experiencing radio problems. Departure granted the request clearing me for runway 10R and asked that I identify if I copied. I idented. Departure again called stating that she was not receiving my mode C and asked for my altitude. I responded with 'leaving 3000 ft for 4500 ft.' departure responded stating that she was not able to understand my transmission and asked if I was having problems. I responded that I was having radio problems. Departure responded stating that she was not able to understand my transmission and asked that I identify if this were an emergency. I switched radios repeatedly and responded stating that this was not an emergency, that I was having radio problems. My ammeter continued to show a discharge. Departure called stating that she had received an identify and had dispatched equipment to the field. I was cleared for runway 10R. After switching from radio to radio, I was able to transmit that this was not an emergency, that I was experiencing radio and electrical problems, that I understood I was cleared for runway 10R and planned to return to the FBO for maintenance. She responded stating that she had received my transmission, understood that this was not an emergency, but that equipment had already been dispatched. I was cleared to FBO. Since the incident, FBO has ascertained that the bonanza's generator failed and that the worn wiring continued to be an issue. Currently, they are replacing the generator and making repairs to the wiring. My intention is to get a ferry permit and transport the plane to abc for an annual and structural inspection. I am also taking issue with the FBO that performed the pre- buy inspection.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A BEECH G35 RETURNED TO THE FIELD DUE TO ELECTRICAL SYS FAILURE.

Narrative: PURCHASED THE BONANZA IN BRUNSWICK, GA, ON MAY/XA/97. UPON STARTUP, FOUND THAT THE BATTERY WAS DEAD. MAINT STAFF BROUGHT OUT A GPU AND JUMPED THE PLANE. ALL SEEMED FINE, SO I RESUMED THE FLT. ABOUT 5 MI N OF PORT OF COLUMBUS, I DETECTED AN ACRID SMELL IN THE COCKPIT AND NOTICED THAT THE AMMETER SHOWED BATTERY HAD FAILED TO HOLD A CHARGE. I SWITCHED OFF THE GENERATOR, TURNED OFF NON ESSENTIAL PWR, CLOSED THE AIR VENTS AND CALLED CTL AND REQUESTED PERMISSION TO LAND IMMEDIATELY. CTL CLRED ME FOR THE LNDG. MY PARTNER AND I BEGAN SHUTTING DOWN SYS AND CONFIGURING FOR THE LNDG. LANDED THE PLANE FINE, NOTIFIED THE LINE CREW OF THE PROB AND CALLED THE TWR FROM THE PHONE IN THE FBO TO LET THEM KNOW WE WERE OK AND THAT I WAS HAVING THE PLANE'S ELECTRICAL SYS CHKED. ON INITIAL GLANCE, THE MAINT CREW ADVISED THAT WE LEAVE THE PLANE FOR A MORE THOROUGH CHKOUT. MY PARTNER AND I RENTED A CAR AND RETURNED HOME TO DAYTON. MAINT ADVISED ME THAT THEY HAD FOUND SIGNIFICANT PROBS WITH THE ELECTRICAL SYS AND RECOMMENDED THAT I TAKE THE PLANE TO XYZ, THE LCL BEECHCRAFT SVC CTR FOR A MAINT CHK. XYZ IS LOCATED AT ZZZ ARPT. IN THE MEANTIME, THEY AGAIN TETHERED THE WIRING AND CHARGED THE BATTERY. I EXPERIENCED SIGNIFICANT TROUBLE GETTING A GOOD COMS CHANNEL TO CLRNC. I COULD RECEIVE, HOWEVER, CLRNC HAD TROUBLE UNDERSTANDING MY XMISSION DUE TO STATIC AND INTERMITTENT LOSS OF SIGNAL. AFTER RECEIVING MY CLRNC, I TAXIED TO RWY 10R AS ASSIGNED AND PERFORMED A SYS CHK WITH THE RUNUP. ALL SYS CHKED. I SWITCHED TO TWR TO ADVISE THAT I WAS READY TO DEPART AND AGAIN EXPERIENCED TROUBLE XMITTING A CLR SIGNAL. AFTER DEP, I TOOK THE ASSIGNED RWY HDG AND STARTED MY ASSIGNED CLB TO 4500 FT. THE TWR CALLED TO ADVISE A COURSE CHANGE TO 180 DEGS, HOWEVER BOTH XMIT AND RECEIVE SIGNALS FAILED. I SWITCHED BTWN BOTH RADIO SETS IN AN ATTEMPT TO GET A CLR SIGNAL, THEN NOTICED THAT THE BATTERY HAD AGAIN BEGUN A SIGNIFICANT DISCHARGE. I PICKED UP A CALL FROM DEP DIRECTING ME TO TURN IMMEDIATELY TO 180 DEGS. I RESPONDED WITH THE COURSE CHANGE AND REQUESTED A RETURN TO THE FIELD AS I WAS EXPERIENCING RADIO PROBS. DEP GRANTED THE REQUEST CLRING ME FOR RWY 10R AND ASKED THAT I IDENT IF I COPIED. I IDENTED. DEP AGAIN CALLED STATING THAT SHE WAS NOT RECEIVING MY MODE C AND ASKED FOR MY ALT. I RESPONDED WITH 'LEAVING 3000 FT FOR 4500 FT.' DEP RESPONDED STATING THAT SHE WAS NOT ABLE TO UNDERSTAND MY XMISSION AND ASKED IF I WAS HAVING PROBS. I RESPONDED THAT I WAS HAVING RADIO PROBS. DEP RESPONDED STATING THAT SHE WAS NOT ABLE TO UNDERSTAND MY XMISSION AND ASKED THAT I IDENT IF THIS WERE AN EMER. I SWITCHED RADIOS REPEATEDLY AND RESPONDED STATING THAT THIS WAS NOT AN EMER, THAT I WAS HAVING RADIO PROBS. MY AMMETER CONTINUED TO SHOW A DISCHARGE. DEP CALLED STATING THAT SHE HAD RECEIVED AN IDENT AND HAD DISPATCHED EQUIP TO THE FIELD. I WAS CLRED FOR RWY 10R. AFTER SWITCHING FROM RADIO TO RADIO, I WAS ABLE TO XMIT THAT THIS WAS NOT AN EMER, THAT I WAS EXPERIENCING RADIO AND ELECTRICAL PROBS, THAT I UNDERSTOOD I WAS CLRED FOR RWY 10R AND PLANNED TO RETURN TO THE FBO FOR MAINT. SHE RESPONDED STATING THAT SHE HAD RECEIVED MY XMISSION, UNDERSTOOD THAT THIS WAS NOT AN EMER, BUT THAT EQUIP HAD ALREADY BEEN DISPATCHED. I WAS CLRED TO FBO. SINCE THE INCIDENT, FBO HAS ASCERTAINED THAT THE BONANZA'S GENERATOR FAILED AND THAT THE WORN WIRING CONTINUED TO BE AN ISSUE. CURRENTLY, THEY ARE REPLACING THE GENERATOR AND MAKING REPAIRS TO THE WIRING. MY INTENTION IS TO GET A FERRY PERMIT AND TRANSPORT THE PLANE TO ABC FOR AN ANNUAL AND STRUCTURAL INSPECTION. I AM ALSO TAKING ISSUE WITH THE FBO THAT PERFORMED THE PRE- BUY INSPECTION.

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.