Narrative:

I departed rbd on a instrument flight plan for the first leg of my flight to salina, ks. After a brief stop in order to take on fuel, I filed another flight plan for the second leg of my trip to madison, wi. After receiving my IFR clearance, which cleared me direct to msn, I departed from salina and climbed through a solid layer of clouds to an altitude of approximately 8000 ft. Upon reaching my assigned altitude, I was on top of the solid layer and began navigating direct to madison using my magnetic compass as well as VOR navs. While navigating along my planned route approximately 200 mi from madison, I experienced a sudden electrical failure which immediately caused me to lose both communication radios. Immediately I squawked 7600 on my transponder. Before troubleshooting to find out what could have caused the failure, if the problem could be fixed, and also which other instruments were affected, I determined that the extent of the failure was a lot greater than I initially thought. I found that all of my navigation instruments, communication instruments as well as all lights that were installed in my aircraft were completely out. Due to the fact that IFR conditions existed below me at the time of my failure, I decided to continue my flight by the route which I was assigned in the last ATC clearance that I received. After verifying, using my magnetic compass, that I was on the proper route assigned by ATC, I attempted to contact ATC, using my hand held radio, the latest ATC center which I was in contact with before my failure. However after several unsuccessful attempts to reach them and advise them of my problem, I continued my flight using my magnetic compass as my primary source of navigation. I did have a hand held GPS navigation system onboard. However due to the fact that it was not certified for IFR conditions it was only used as a way to verify that I was heading in the right direction. While proceeding along my route the cloud deck below me became intermittent at times and at times it was completely solid. Due to my limited navigation abilities as well as no way of communicating to others, I made sure that I stayed completely out of any cloud conditions and along my assigned route. It was not until I was approximately 100 mi from madison, wi, did I encounter VFR conditions. However, by this time, it was dark and it became increasingly difficult to see any of my vital instruments. Necessary to fly the airplane as well as keeping track of any hazardous terrain in the area. Due to my extreme difficulties navigating the airplane, my lack of any aircraft lighting and communication equipment, I decided that it would be more unsafe and unpractical for me to attempt a landing at an airport that I had no contact with nor could see me without my aircraft lighting and also had no radar for aircraft separation, versus continuing to madison where I had a planned ETA on file and where I could receive light gun signals from the tower. As I arrived into the madison area I used pilotage and dead reckoning to further navigation to the airport before contacting the tower using my hand held radio. I contacted madison tower and told them the extent of my problem, at which time I was cleared to land on runway 36. Upon landing I immediately contacted ATC and advised them what had happened. In summation the loss of my electrical system played a great part in the decisions that I made. However, the fact that IMC conditions existed at the time of my failure as well as darkness limited what options that I felt were available to me at the time.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF AN SMA ON AN IFR FLT IN IMC HAS A TOTAL ELECTRICAL FAILURE. HE RELIES ON MAGNETIC COMPASS, HAND HELD GPS AND HAND HELD RADIO AND CONTINUES TO DEST IN THE DARK.

Narrative: I DEPARTED RBD ON A INST FLT PLAN FOR THE FIRST LEG OF MY FLT TO SALINA, KS. AFTER A BRIEF STOP IN ORDER TO TAKE ON FUEL, I FILED ANOTHER FLT PLAN FOR THE SECOND LEG OF MY TRIP TO MADISON, WI. AFTER RECEIVING MY IFR CLRNC, WHICH CLRED ME DIRECT TO MSN, I DEPARTED FROM SALINA AND CLBED THROUGH A SOLID LAYER OF CLOUDS TO AN ALT OF APPROX 8000 FT. UPON REACHING MY ASSIGNED ALT, I WAS ON TOP OF THE SOLID LAYER AND BEGAN NAVING DIRECT TO MADISON USING MY MAGNETIC COMPASS AS WELL AS VOR NAVS. WHILE NAVING ALONG MY PLANNED RTE APPROX 200 MI FROM MADISON, I EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN ELECTRICAL FAILURE WHICH IMMEDIATELY CAUSED ME TO LOSE BOTH COM RADIOS. IMMEDIATELY I SQUAWKED 7600 ON MY XPONDER. BEFORE TROUBLESHOOTING TO FIND OUT WHAT COULD HAVE CAUSED THE FAILURE, IF THE PROB COULD BE FIXED, AND ALSO WHICH OTHER INSTS WERE AFFECTED, I DETERMINED THAT THE EXTENT OF THE FAILURE WAS A LOT GREATER THAN I INITIALLY THOUGHT. I FOUND THAT ALL OF MY NAV INSTS, COM INSTS AS WELL AS ALL LIGHTS THAT WERE INSTALLED IN MY ACFT WERE COMPLETELY OUT. DUE TO THE FACT THAT IFR CONDITIONS EXISTED BELOW ME AT THE TIME OF MY FAILURE, I DECIDED TO CONTINUE MY FLT BY THE RTE WHICH I WAS ASSIGNED IN THE LAST ATC CLRNC THAT I RECEIVED. AFTER VERIFYING, USING MY MAGNETIC COMPASS, THAT I WAS ON THE PROPER RTE ASSIGNED BY ATC, I ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT ATC, USING MY HAND HELD RADIO, THE LATEST ATC CTR WHICH I WAS IN CONTACT WITH BEFORE MY FAILURE. HOWEVER AFTER SEVERAL UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPTS TO REACH THEM AND ADVISE THEM OF MY PROB, I CONTINUED MY FLT USING MY MAGNETIC COMPASS AS MY PRIMARY SOURCE OF NAV. I DID HAVE A HAND HELD GPS NAV SYS ONBOARD. HOWEVER DUE TO THE FACT THAT IT WAS NOT CERTIFIED FOR IFR CONDITIONS IT WAS ONLY USED AS A WAY TO VERIFY THAT I WAS HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. WHILE PROCEEDING ALONG MY RTE THE CLOUD DECK BELOW ME BECAME INTERMITTENT AT TIMES AND AT TIMES IT WAS COMPLETELY SOLID. DUE TO MY LIMITED NAV ABILITIES AS WELL AS NO WAY OF COMMUNICATING TO OTHERS, I MADE SURE THAT I STAYED COMPLETELY OUT OF ANY CLOUD CONDITIONS AND ALONG MY ASSIGNED RTE. IT WAS NOT UNTIL I WAS APPROX 100 MI FROM MADISON, WI, DID I ENCOUNTER VFR CONDITIONS. HOWEVER, BY THIS TIME, IT WAS DARK AND IT BECAME INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO SEE ANY OF MY VITAL INSTS. NECESSARY TO FLY THE AIRPLANE AS WELL AS KEEPING TRACK OF ANY HAZARDOUS TERRAIN IN THE AREA. DUE TO MY EXTREME DIFFICULTIES NAVING THE AIRPLANE, MY LACK OF ANY ACFT LIGHTING AND COM EQUIP, I DECIDED THAT IT WOULD BE MORE UNSAFE AND UNPRACTICAL FOR ME TO ATTEMPT A LNDG AT AN ARPT THAT I HAD NO CONTACT WITH NOR COULD SEE ME WITHOUT MY ACFT LIGHTING AND ALSO HAD NO RADAR FOR ACFT SEPARATION, VERSUS CONTINUING TO MADISON WHERE I HAD A PLANNED ETA ON FILE AND WHERE I COULD RECEIVE LIGHT GUN SIGNALS FROM THE TWR. AS I ARRIVED INTO THE MADISON AREA I USED PILOTAGE AND DEAD RECKONING TO FURTHER NAV TO THE ARPT BEFORE CONTACTING THE TWR USING MY HAND HELD RADIO. I CONTACTED MADISON TWR AND TOLD THEM THE EXTENT OF MY PROB, AT WHICH TIME I WAS CLRED TO LAND ON RWY 36. UPON LNDG I IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED ATC AND ADVISED THEM WHAT HAD HAPPENED. IN SUMMATION THE LOSS OF MY ELECTRICAL SYS PLAYED A GREAT PART IN THE DECISIONS THAT I MADE. HOWEVER, THE FACT THAT IMC CONDITIONS EXISTED AT THE TIME OF MY FAILURE AS WELL AS DARKNESS LIMITED WHAT OPTIONS THAT I FELT WERE AVAILABLE TO ME AT THE TIME.

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.