Narrative:

Departed sna on normal profile. Autothrottles were not working, but all else was normal. Captain's leg. Talking to socal TRACON and cleared to climb to 16000 ft. Passing through 11000 ft, we had a total failure of all aircraft electrical system except battery. The electrical system was cycling back on and off at a rapid rate and it sounded like there was electrical arcing coming from the circuit breaker panels behind captain. Captain's night and IMC he could not see anything. At this point he turned aircraft over to me and tried to determine if we had an electrical fire. I declared an emergency and turned the aircraft toward sna and started an aggressive descent to get us in position and land quickly on runway 1 if things continued to get worse. My attitude gyro was intermittent and I had no heading. Radios were coming and going and talking to socal was almost impossible. Multiple aural warnings were going off and we had numerous annunciator lights/master warning master cautions, etc. Captain tried to bootstrap and close dc xtie bus. Didn't really help. Seemed like AC was cycling quickly back and forth from emergency power to right AC. At this point we were near the shoreline and the immediate concern of a fire was gone. No smoke but arcing sound persisted. Aural warnings of overspd and altitude alert continued nonstop. Since no fire detected, I set up for stable approach to runway 19R. Visual recovery to sna. Autospoiler failed as we anticipated. Captain deployed spoilers. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated the power was shifting back and forth from normal power to emergency power at a high frequency. The reporter said the AC power relays behind the captain's seat were cycling and at first appeared to be arcing because of the switching noise. The reporter said the captain's flight instruments (eadi and ehsi) were inoperative and dark but the first officer had the eadi operative but lost the ehsi which was dark. The reporter stated maintenance did extensive work on the right AC electrical system and replaced an inverter but was not advised of the actual failed component.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN MD90 CLBING THROUGH 11000 FT DECLARED AN EMER AND DIVERTED DUE TO TOTAL LOSS OF NORMAL AND EMER ELECTRICAL PWR.

Narrative: DEPARTED SNA ON NORMAL PROFILE. AUTOTHROTTLES WERE NOT WORKING, BUT ALL ELSE WAS NORMAL. CAPT'S LEG. TALKING TO SOCAL TRACON AND CLRED TO CLB TO 16000 FT. PASSING THROUGH 11000 FT, WE HAD A TOTAL FAILURE OF ALL ACFT ELECTRICAL SYS EXCEPT BATTERY. THE ELECTRICAL SYS WAS CYCLING BACK ON AND OFF AT A RAPID RATE AND IT SOUNDED LIKE THERE WAS ELECTRICAL ARCING COMING FROM THE CIRCUIT BREAKER PANELS BEHIND CAPT. CAPT'S NIGHT AND IMC HE COULD NOT SEE ANYTHING. AT THIS POINT HE TURNED ACFT OVER TO ME AND TRIED TO DETERMINE IF WE HAD AN ELECTRICAL FIRE. I DECLARED AN EMER AND TURNED THE ACFT TOWARD SNA AND STARTED AN AGGRESSIVE DSCNT TO GET US IN POS AND LAND QUICKLY ON RWY 1 IF THINGS CONTINUED TO GET WORSE. MY ATTITUDE GYRO WAS INTERMITTENT AND I HAD NO HDG. RADIOS WERE COMING AND GOING AND TALKING TO SOCAL WAS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE. MULTIPLE AURAL WARNINGS WERE GOING OFF AND WE HAD NUMEROUS ANNUNCIATOR LIGHTS/MASTER WARNING MASTER CAUTIONS, ETC. CAPT TRIED TO BOOTSTRAP AND CLOSE DC XTIE BUS. DIDN'T REALLY HELP. SEEMED LIKE AC WAS CYCLING QUICKLY BACK AND FORTH FROM EMER PWR TO R AC. AT THIS POINT WE WERE NEAR THE SHORELINE AND THE IMMEDIATE CONCERN OF A FIRE WAS GONE. NO SMOKE BUT ARCING SOUND PERSISTED. AURAL WARNINGS OF OVERSPD AND ALT ALERT CONTINUED NONSTOP. SINCE NO FIRE DETECTED, I SET UP FOR STABLE APCH TO RWY 19R. VISUAL RECOVERY TO SNA. AUTOSPOILER FAILED AS WE ANTICIPATED. CAPT DEPLOYED SPOILERS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE PWR WAS SHIFTING BACK AND FORTH FROM NORMAL PWR TO EMER PWR AT A HIGH FREQ. THE RPTR SAID THE AC PWR RELAYS BEHIND THE CAPT'S SEAT WERE CYCLING AND AT FIRST APPEARED TO BE ARCING BECAUSE OF THE SWITCHING NOISE. THE RPTR SAID THE CAPT'S FLT INSTS (EADI AND EHSI) WERE INOP AND DARK BUT THE FO HAD THE EADI OPERATIVE BUT LOST THE EHSI WHICH WAS DARK. THE RPTR STATED MAINT DID EXTENSIVE WORK ON THE R AC ELECTRICAL SYS AND REPLACED AN INVERTER BUT WAS NOT ADVISED OF THE ACTUAL FAILED COMPONENT.

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.