Narrative:

While in IMC, en route from austin, tx, to houston, tx, I lost all electrical power. I was in the vicinity of thunderstorms and had seen a flash to the right followed by the GPS display flashing and going dark and the controller informing me he had lost my transponder. My immediate thought was that I had been hit by lightning. However, inspecting the airplane afterward, it does not appear the flash was a lightning strike or a cause of the problem. When the controller told me he had lost radar contact and to report navasota, I told him it looked like my navigation radios were out. At his suggestion, I tried resetting the alternator. I attempted to respond to further calls from ATC, but was obviously not being received. I heard the controller asking other aircraft to listen for an ELT. I turned on my hand-held communication/VOR, still with this I could hear, but not be heard. Apparently the batteries did not have enough charge to transmit with sufficient power. It did provide a radial to navasota. Listening to iah ATIS, which I couldn't hear very clearly, the visibility didn't sound good enough to get into iws, which has NDB and VOR/DME approachs, with only the hand-held VOR receiver. I attempted the VOR approach to navasota, but could not see the airport at minimums. I began climbing back to my assigned altitude and heading for college station, the nearest other VOR I could receive and with lower approach minimums. It then occurred to me I had a cellular phone. I used this to contact FSS, who contacted ATC. I was told that college station was using the ILS. Since I couldn't fly that with the hand-held, they suggested I fly south toward palacios and try to climb to a VFR cruising altitude. I told them I would climb to 5500 ft, but this did not get me VFR. The FSS specialist gave a heading and said he'd get me a distance in a second, but I lost contact and never could re-establish. I tuned eagle lake, a VOR along the way to palacios. I frequently changed to the ATC frequency and tried to contact ATC or other aircraft. I gathered from what I heard, that they were trying to vector another aircraft to me, and therefore probably had a primary target on me. It occurs to me that, had ATC asked me to turn, I could have complied, verifying that they had the correct target and that I could hear their xmissions. On arrival at eagle lake, I flew the approach with the intention of continuing south to palacios in the event of a miss. I successfully completed the approach and landed, whereupon I immediately contacted FSS on my cellular phone.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN SMA PLT LOSES HIS ELECTRICAL ON AN IFR IN PROX OF FOUL WX. FLT ASSISTS ARE ATTEMPTED BY ZHU AND CXO FSS. RPTR FINALLY GETS OVER TO EAGLE LAKE USING A HAND-HELD NAV UNIT AND LANDS. THE LAST PART OF FLT HE WAS USING A CELL PHONE FOR COM WITH CTR VIA FSS.

Narrative: WHILE IN IMC, ENRTE FROM AUSTIN, TX, TO HOUSTON, TX, I LOST ALL ELECTRICAL PWR. I WAS IN THE VICINITY OF TSTMS AND HAD SEEN A FLASH TO THE R FOLLOWED BY THE GPS DISPLAY FLASHING AND GOING DARK AND THE CTLR INFORMING ME HE HAD LOST MY XPONDER. MY IMMEDIATE THOUGHT WAS THAT I HAD BEEN HIT BY LIGHTNING. HOWEVER, INSPECTING THE AIRPLANE AFTERWARD, IT DOES NOT APPEAR THE FLASH WAS A LIGHTNING STRIKE OR A CAUSE OF THE PROB. WHEN THE CTLR TOLD ME HE HAD LOST RADAR CONTACT AND TO RPT NAVASOTA, I TOLD HIM IT LOOKED LIKE MY NAV RADIOS WERE OUT. AT HIS SUGGESTION, I TRIED RESETTING THE ALTERNATOR. I ATTEMPTED TO RESPOND TO FURTHER CALLS FROM ATC, BUT WAS OBVIOUSLY NOT BEING RECEIVED. I HEARD THE CTLR ASKING OTHER ACFT TO LISTEN FOR AN ELT. I TURNED ON MY HAND-HELD COM/VOR, STILL WITH THIS I COULD HEAR, BUT NOT BE HEARD. APPARENTLY THE BATTERIES DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH CHARGE TO XMIT WITH SUFFICIENT PWR. IT DID PROVIDE A RADIAL TO NAVASOTA. LISTENING TO IAH ATIS, WHICH I COULDN'T HEAR VERY CLRLY, THE VISIBILITY DIDN'T SOUND GOOD ENOUGH TO GET INTO IWS, WHICH HAS NDB AND VOR/DME APCHS, WITH ONLY THE HAND-HELD VOR RECEIVER. I ATTEMPTED THE VOR APCH TO NAVASOTA, BUT COULD NOT SEE THE ARPT AT MINIMUMS. I BEGAN CLBING BACK TO MY ASSIGNED ALT AND HDG FOR COLLEGE STATION, THE NEAREST OTHER VOR I COULD RECEIVE AND WITH LOWER APCH MINIMUMS. IT THEN OCCURRED TO ME I HAD A CELLULAR PHONE. I USED THIS TO CONTACT FSS, WHO CONTACTED ATC. I WAS TOLD THAT COLLEGE STATION WAS USING THE ILS. SINCE I COULDN'T FLY THAT WITH THE HAND-HELD, THEY SUGGESTED I FLY S TOWARD PALACIOS AND TRY TO CLB TO A VFR CRUISING ALT. I TOLD THEM I WOULD CLB TO 5500 FT, BUT THIS DID NOT GET ME VFR. THE FSS SPECIALIST GAVE A HDG AND SAID HE'D GET ME A DISTANCE IN A SECOND, BUT I LOST CONTACT AND NEVER COULD RE-ESTABLISH. I TUNED EAGLE LAKE, A VOR ALONG THE WAY TO PALACIOS. I FREQUENTLY CHANGED TO THE ATC FREQ AND TRIED TO CONTACT ATC OR OTHER ACFT. I GATHERED FROM WHAT I HEARD, THAT THEY WERE TRYING TO VECTOR ANOTHER ACFT TO ME, AND THEREFORE PROBABLY HAD A PRIMARY TARGET ON ME. IT OCCURS TO ME THAT, HAD ATC ASKED ME TO TURN, I COULD HAVE COMPLIED, VERIFYING THAT THEY HAD THE CORRECT TARGET AND THAT I COULD HEAR THEIR XMISSIONS. ON ARR AT EAGLE LAKE, I FLEW THE APCH WITH THE INTENTION OF CONTINUING S TO PALACIOS IN THE EVENT OF A MISS. I SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED THE APCH AND LANDED, WHEREUPON I IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED FSS ON MY CELLULAR PHONE.

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.