Narrative:

At the time of my departure there were heavy air mass-type rain showers north and east of the airport. I decided to take off since I saw no lightning, the winds were calm, and there was no significant WX activity south and west of the airfield. I had my student fly wbound to the local VFR training area, where he did about 30 mins of pre-solo airwork maneuvers. On the return trip to the original airport of departure, our radios failed to receive the ATIS or tower xmissions. Likewise all the navigation system appeared to be dead. After checking the obvious, namely volume, correct frequencys, headset connections, etc, I noticed that the 5 amp instrument circuit breaker had popped, the fuel gauges read zero and the ammeter was showing a negative value. By now we were about 15 NM west of our destination in VFR WX conditions. I told my student to orbit around a landmark at 1500 ft MSL while I tried to correct the problem by turning off all the electrical equipment, battery and alternator. After a couple of mins, I reset the circuit breaker but it popped again. I turned on the battery, alternator, one radio and the transponder (with a 7600 squawk). Again I relayed my situation on primary tower frequency but received no response. At this time I could see a heavy rain shower moving into the airport area from the southeast, so using my hand-held transceiver I relayed our situation to the tower indicating I was coming in from the west for a straight-in approach on runway 9R. On short final, I had my student look for a green light from the tower while I landed the plane. Shortly after I landed and cleared the runway, a heavy rain shower engulfed the area and the airport went IFR. I contacted the tower on my cellular phone and the controller, after clearing me to taxi to the ramp, indicated that the tower had been using the secondary tower frequency. After I parked I entered the electrical malfunction in the airplane maintenance logbook, and the owner/a&P said that it looked like a short in the intercom system. 1 hour later, I called the tower to discuss what had happened and the controller said that a lightning strike had knocked out the power causing them to use the secondary tower frequency. He indicated that he had given me a green light but he could not see the airplane due to the rain falling in the tower area. He also suggested to refer to the 'flips chart' to get the tower secondary frequency in case I needed it in the future. The following day, at about XA00, I went to the same airport to fly a training flight and the FBO dispatcher told me a tower controller had a call for me. She said he wanted to talk to me otherwise he was going to report me to flight standards. I returned the call immediately, and the controller proceeded to question my judgement and knowledge for taking off in poor WX, not using the secondary tower frequency, and not contacting the local radar approach facility. He indicated that he had heard my xmissions and that approach control had my 7600 squawk on radar. I tired to explain to him that an electrical malfunction had affected my radios but to no avail. He ended by saying that he really could not come up with anything specifically illegal about my actions to tell flight standards, other than the fact that I made his blood pressure go up, so he was going to let it pass. I thanked him for his concern and agreed with him that, given similar WX conditions, I would have been better off remaining on the ground, and also that I should have known about the secondary tower frequency. Also, in retrospect, I can't help but wonder: why would a lightning strike render the primary tower frequency unusable but not the secondary? Also, would my actions fall under definition of 'careless or reckless operation' as defined in far 91.13? I presume the tower controller who admonished me might have answers to these questions, but given his caustic tone I am not about to pursue any further discussion on this matter at this time.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A C172 CFI AND STUDENT PLT LOSE THEIR COM FREQ WITH TWR AND RETURN IN THE MIDDLE OF A TSTM, LNDG WITHOUT CLRNC AT OPF, FL.

Narrative: AT THE TIME OF MY DEP THERE WERE HVY AIR MASS-TYPE RAIN SHOWERS N AND E OF THE ARPT. I DECIDED TO TAKE OFF SINCE I SAW NO LIGHTNING, THE WINDS WERE CALM, AND THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT WX ACTIVITY S AND W OF THE AIRFIELD. I HAD MY STUDENT FLY WBOUND TO THE LCL VFR TRAINING AREA, WHERE HE DID ABOUT 30 MINS OF PRE-SOLO AIRWORK MANEUVERS. ON THE RETURN TRIP TO THE ORIGINAL ARPT OF DEP, OUR RADIOS FAILED TO RECEIVE THE ATIS OR TWR XMISSIONS. LIKEWISE ALL THE NAV SYS APPEARED TO BE DEAD. AFTER CHKING THE OBVIOUS, NAMELY VOLUME, CORRECT FREQS, HEADSET CONNECTIONS, ETC, I NOTICED THAT THE 5 AMP INST CIRCUIT BREAKER HAD POPPED, THE FUEL GAUGES READ ZERO AND THE AMMETER WAS SHOWING A NEGATIVE VALUE. BY NOW WE WERE ABOUT 15 NM W OF OUR DEST IN VFR WX CONDITIONS. I TOLD MY STUDENT TO ORBIT AROUND A LANDMARK AT 1500 FT MSL WHILE I TRIED TO CORRECT THE PROB BY TURNING OFF ALL THE ELECTRICAL EQUIP, BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR. AFTER A COUPLE OF MINS, I RESET THE CIRCUIT BREAKER BUT IT POPPED AGAIN. I TURNED ON THE BATTERY, ALTERNATOR, ONE RADIO AND THE XPONDER (WITH A 7600 SQUAWK). AGAIN I RELAYED MY SIT ON PRIMARY TWR FREQ BUT RECEIVED NO RESPONSE. AT THIS TIME I COULD SEE A HVY RAIN SHOWER MOVING INTO THE ARPT AREA FROM THE SE, SO USING MY HAND-HELD TRANSCEIVER I RELAYED OUR SIT TO THE TWR INDICATING I WAS COMING IN FROM THE W FOR A STRAIGHT-IN APCH ON RWY 9R. ON SHORT FINAL, I HAD MY STUDENT LOOK FOR A GREEN LIGHT FROM THE TWR WHILE I LANDED THE PLANE. SHORTLY AFTER I LANDED AND CLRED THE RWY, A HVY RAIN SHOWER ENGULFED THE AREA AND THE ARPT WENT IFR. I CONTACTED THE TWR ON MY CELLULAR PHONE AND THE CTLR, AFTER CLRING ME TO TAXI TO THE RAMP, INDICATED THAT THE TWR HAD BEEN USING THE SECONDARY TWR FREQ. AFTER I PARKED I ENTERED THE ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTION IN THE AIRPLANE MAINT LOGBOOK, AND THE OWNER/A&P SAID THAT IT LOOKED LIKE A SHORT IN THE INTERCOM SYS. 1 HR LATER, I CALLED THE TWR TO DISCUSS WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND THE CTLR SAID THAT A LIGHTNING STRIKE HAD KNOCKED OUT THE PWR CAUSING THEM TO USE THE SECONDARY TWR FREQ. HE INDICATED THAT HE HAD GIVEN ME A GREEN LIGHT BUT HE COULD NOT SEE THE AIRPLANE DUE TO THE RAIN FALLING IN THE TWR AREA. HE ALSO SUGGESTED TO REFER TO THE 'FLIPS CHART' TO GET THE TWR SECONDARY FREQ IN CASE I NEEDED IT IN THE FUTURE. THE FOLLOWING DAY, AT ABOUT XA00, I WENT TO THE SAME ARPT TO FLY A TRAINING FLT AND THE FBO DISPATCHER TOLD ME A TWR CTLR HAD A CALL FOR ME. SHE SAID HE WANTED TO TALK TO ME OTHERWISE HE WAS GOING TO RPT ME TO FLT STANDARDS. I RETURNED THE CALL IMMEDIATELY, AND THE CTLR PROCEEDED TO QUESTION MY JUDGEMENT AND KNOWLEDGE FOR TAKING OFF IN POOR WX, NOT USING THE SECONDARY TWR FREQ, AND NOT CONTACTING THE LCL RADAR APCH FACILITY. HE INDICATED THAT HE HAD HEARD MY XMISSIONS AND THAT APCH CTL HAD MY 7600 SQUAWK ON RADAR. I TIRED TO EXPLAIN TO HIM THAT AN ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTION HAD AFFECTED MY RADIOS BUT TO NO AVAIL. HE ENDED BY SAYING THAT HE REALLY COULD NOT COME UP WITH ANYTHING SPECIFICALLY ILLEGAL ABOUT MY ACTIONS TO TELL FLT STANDARDS, OTHER THAN THE FACT THAT I MADE HIS BLOOD PRESSURE GO UP, SO HE WAS GOING TO LET IT PASS. I THANKED HIM FOR HIS CONCERN AND AGREED WITH HIM THAT, GIVEN SIMILAR WX CONDITIONS, I WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER OFF REMAINING ON THE GND, AND ALSO THAT I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THE SECONDARY TWR FREQ. ALSO, IN RETROSPECT, I CAN'T HELP BUT WONDER: WHY WOULD A LIGHTNING STRIKE RENDER THE PRIMARY TWR FREQ UNUSABLE BUT NOT THE SECONDARY? ALSO, WOULD MY ACTIONS FALL UNDER DEFINITION OF 'CARELESS OR RECKLESS OP' AS DEFINED IN FAR 91.13? I PRESUME THE TWR CTLR WHO ADMONISHED ME MIGHT HAVE ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS, BUT GIVEN HIS CAUSTIC TONE I AM NOT ABOUT TO PURSUE ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS MATTER AT THIS 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.