Narrative:

I was to ferry an arrow from 3s2 (near st louis) to pne (northeast philadelphia). My fuel stop was to be osu. I prepared to leave dec/xa/97 in the afternoon. As I taxied to the runway, I noticed the ammeter wasn't showing anything. The mechanics looked at it, but they weren't the ones who had rebuilt the alternator so I decided to wait until dec/xb/97 when that mechanic who had worked on it could look it over. After waiting about 5 hours, I was told that everything was working fine and I must have a bad gauge and I should be fine. Based on this information, I decided to depart under IFR knowing that I would have to do an approach at osu. Also, due to the WX system in the area, IFR conditions extended from my departure point all the way to pittsburgh. After I departed, I requested to turn off my transponder and I used only 1 radio and only turned my VOR on now and then to fix my location. I was turned over to cmh approach, told to descend to 3000 ft until established on ILS runway 9L at osu. I did this and when established, descended to 2700 ft, the appropriate altitude before intercepting the GS. Just to be sure, I verified my position with approach to make sure I was established. About 20 seconds later my localizer flagged and my other electrical equipment seemed to fail. I immediately called approach to ask for another position report and to tell them I thought I was losing my communication and navigation capabilities. It was already too late and I received no reply. Because my last communication indicated I was established and approaching the FAF, I decided to hold my heading and descend down to the localizer MDA. I luckily broke out of the clouds at about 1000 ft. I had decided to continue the approach based on the knowledge that the entire surrounding area was IFR and I had approximately 1 hour of fuel remaining. I continued to search for the airport and determined from the approach plate I was to the right of course. I took a corrective heading and saw an airport and landed. The airport turned out to be cmh which looks almost exactly like osu except larger and is not too far away. The biggest mistake that was made that led to this event was that I trusted the mechanics in their evaluation. The mechanic at cmh diagnosed the problem in about 1/2 hour as a voltage regulator failure. The next biggest mistake was that I departed into IFR conditions. I also was a bit anxious to get home because I knew that the WX was going to deteriorate in the next few days. Although I landed at the wrong airport, I feel that given the circumstances, that was understandable and necessary. What completely surprised me was that the first mechanics overlooked the voltage regulator and how quickly my battery completely died. It went from normal to complete failure in less than 1 min with almost no warning. What I took away from this is that if there is any doubt about the electrical system, IFR flight should not be attempted. It was also important that I continued to fly the plane and did not panic.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA28R200 ACFT LOST ALL ELECTRICAL ON APCH IN IMC. RPTR PLT CONTINUED DSCNT AND BROKE OUT, SAW AN ARPT AND LANDED. IT WAS THE WRONG ARPT APPROX 10 MI FROM DEST ARPT.

Narrative: I WAS TO FERRY AN ARROW FROM 3S2 (NEAR ST LOUIS) TO PNE (NE PHILADELPHIA). MY FUEL STOP WAS TO BE OSU. I PREPARED TO LEAVE DEC/XA/97 IN THE AFTERNOON. AS I TAXIED TO THE RWY, I NOTICED THE AMMETER WASN'T SHOWING ANYTHING. THE MECHS LOOKED AT IT, BUT THEY WEREN'T THE ONES WHO HAD REBUILT THE ALTERNATOR SO I DECIDED TO WAIT UNTIL DEC/XB/97 WHEN THAT MECH WHO HAD WORKED ON IT COULD LOOK IT OVER. AFTER WAITING ABOUT 5 HRS, I WAS TOLD THAT EVERYTHING WAS WORKING FINE AND I MUST HAVE A BAD GAUGE AND I SHOULD BE FINE. BASED ON THIS INFO, I DECIDED TO DEPART UNDER IFR KNOWING THAT I WOULD HAVE TO DO AN APCH AT OSU. ALSO, DUE TO THE WX SYS IN THE AREA, IFR CONDITIONS EXTENDED FROM MY DEP POINT ALL THE WAY TO PITTSBURGH. AFTER I DEPARTED, I REQUESTED TO TURN OFF MY XPONDER AND I USED ONLY 1 RADIO AND ONLY TURNED MY VOR ON NOW AND THEN TO FIX MY LOCATION. I WAS TURNED OVER TO CMH APCH, TOLD TO DSND TO 3000 FT UNTIL ESTABLISHED ON ILS RWY 9L AT OSU. I DID THIS AND WHEN ESTABLISHED, DSNDED TO 2700 FT, THE APPROPRIATE ALT BEFORE INTERCEPTING THE GS. JUST TO BE SURE, I VERIFIED MY POS WITH APCH TO MAKE SURE I WAS ESTABLISHED. ABOUT 20 SECONDS LATER MY LOC FLAGGED AND MY OTHER ELECTRICAL EQUIP SEEMED TO FAIL. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED APCH TO ASK FOR ANOTHER POS RPT AND TO TELL THEM I THOUGHT I WAS LOSING MY COM AND NAV CAPABILITIES. IT WAS ALREADY TOO LATE AND I RECEIVED NO REPLY. BECAUSE MY LAST COM INDICATED I WAS ESTABLISHED AND APCHING THE FAF, I DECIDED TO HOLD MY HDG AND DSND DOWN TO THE LOC MDA. I LUCKILY BROKE OUT OF THE CLOUDS AT ABOUT 1000 FT. I HAD DECIDED TO CONTINUE THE APCH BASED ON THE KNOWLEDGE THAT THE ENTIRE SURROUNDING AREA WAS IFR AND I HAD APPROX 1 HR OF FUEL REMAINING. I CONTINUED TO SEARCH FOR THE ARPT AND DETERMINED FROM THE APCH PLATE I WAS TO THE R OF COURSE. I TOOK A CORRECTIVE HDG AND SAW AN ARPT AND LANDED. THE ARPT TURNED OUT TO BE CMH WHICH LOOKS ALMOST EXACTLY LIKE OSU EXCEPT LARGER AND IS NOT TOO FAR AWAY. THE BIGGEST MISTAKE THAT WAS MADE THAT LED TO THIS EVENT WAS THAT I TRUSTED THE MECHS IN THEIR EVALUATION. THE MECH AT CMH DIAGNOSED THE PROB IN ABOUT 1/2 HR AS A VOLTAGE REGULATOR FAILURE. THE NEXT BIGGEST MISTAKE WAS THAT I DEPARTED INTO IFR CONDITIONS. I ALSO WAS A BIT ANXIOUS TO GET HOME BECAUSE I KNEW THAT THE WX WAS GOING TO DETERIORATE IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS. ALTHOUGH I LANDED AT THE WRONG ARPT, I FEEL THAT GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES, THAT WAS UNDERSTANDABLE AND NECESSARY. WHAT COMPLETELY SURPRISED ME WAS THAT THE FIRST MECHS OVERLOOKED THE VOLTAGE REGULATOR AND HOW QUICKLY MY BATTERY COMPLETELY DIED. IT WENT FROM NORMAL TO COMPLETE FAILURE IN LESS THAN 1 MIN WITH ALMOST NO WARNING. WHAT I TOOK AWAY FROM THIS IS THAT IF THERE IS ANY DOUBT ABOUT THE ELECTRICAL SYS, IFR FLT SHOULD NOT BE ATTEMPTED. IT WAS ALSO IMPORTANT THAT I CONTINUED TO FLY THE PLANE AND DID NOT PANIC.

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.