Narrative:

I have routinely flown IFR out of sql for 20 yrs. Since sep/11, the delay between advising the tower I'm ready to go and takeoff release has lengthened to an average, in my experience, of over 20 mins. These delays are a detriment to safety. They have encouraged me to fly VFR much more frequently and set up the following chain of events. On may/sun/02, I departed VFR with the intent of flying below the cloud deck and along the pacific coast to northern california. I flew over the coast and away from land to avoid the sfo class B airspace. Shortly after clearing the coast, I experienced what I can only describe as an electromagnetic 'event.' there were a few seconds of bluish light (glow but no sound) and both alternators dropped off line as well as all the avionics gear. Immediately prior, the radar was not painting anything more than light precipitation. I turned away from sfo to try to resolve the situation. The isolation buss restored the transponder but nothing else. All vacuum instruments were working and all engine gauges were normal. I shut down the deice, flew the plane, and got 1 alternator back on line, cycled the avionics master and got lights, but nothing seemed to work correctly. No breakers were blown. Got the second alternator back, then the deice. Next, I tried to contact bay approach with my handheld without success. My intent was to declare an emergency and get a clearance to climb. I had a perfectly flyable aircraft albeit in sub PAR VFR conditions. I knew where I was and was familiar with the coastal route and I had gyros and a working handheld VOR. I believed correctly that conditions improved to the north. I decided to continue rather than plunge back into the bay area without certain communications. The next challenge was to navigation to point reyes without penetrating sfo class B airspace while remaining VFR. There are several lessons here where changes could improve safety. Let me observe first that it is practically impossible to toggle a handheld between 2 vors to determine intermediate distances while hand flying. Marking a terminal chart with tangential radials to heavily used vors (in this case, pye) as well as DME arcs, would have helped. Secondly, there is no correspondence between the class B segment boundaries and visually observable features, which may have helped. Staying VFR and out of class B airspace was a huge workload! Once past class B airspace, I was able to climb VFR between layers and ultimately on top. The rest of the flight was uneventful, except to remark that various parts of the avionics gradually returned to useful operation as the flight progressed. 1 transponder and 1 navigation/communication still seem intermittent. I have no reasonable explanation for what happened, but will note that solenoid contactors seemed to be what was effected while current sensitive items like breakers were apparently not. How the avionics self-healed is beyond my comprehension.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: BE58 PLT ENCOUNTERS AN ELECTROMAGNETIC DISTURBANCE AND TEMPORARILY LOSES ELECTRICAL PWR.

Narrative: I HAVE ROUTINELY FLOWN IFR OUT OF SQL FOR 20 YRS. SINCE SEP/11, THE DELAY BTWN ADVISING THE TWR I'M READY TO GO AND TKOF RELEASE HAS LENGTHENED TO AN AVERAGE, IN MY EXPERIENCE, OF OVER 20 MINS. THESE DELAYS ARE A DETRIMENT TO SAFETY. THEY HAVE ENCOURAGED ME TO FLY VFR MUCH MORE FREQUENTLY AND SET UP THE FOLLOWING CHAIN OF EVENTS. ON MAY/SUN/02, I DEPARTED VFR WITH THE INTENT OF FLYING BELOW THE CLOUD DECK AND ALONG THE PACIFIC COAST TO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. I FLEW OVER THE COAST AND AWAY FROM LAND TO AVOID THE SFO CLASS B AIRSPACE. SHORTLY AFTER CLRING THE COAST, I EXPERIENCED WHAT I CAN ONLY DESCRIBE AS AN ELECTROMAGNETIC 'EVENT.' THERE WERE A FEW SECONDS OF BLUISH LIGHT (GLOW BUT NO SOUND) AND BOTH ALTERNATORS DROPPED OFF LINE AS WELL AS ALL THE AVIONICS GEAR. IMMEDIATELY PRIOR, THE RADAR WAS NOT PAINTING ANYTHING MORE THAN LIGHT PRECIP. I TURNED AWAY FROM SFO TO TRY TO RESOLVE THE SIT. THE ISOLATION BUSS RESTORED THE XPONDER BUT NOTHING ELSE. ALL VACUUM INSTS WERE WORKING AND ALL ENG GAUGES WERE NORMAL. I SHUT DOWN THE DEICE, FLEW THE PLANE, AND GOT 1 ALTERNATOR BACK ON LINE, CYCLED THE AVIONICS MASTER AND GOT LIGHTS, BUT NOTHING SEEMED TO WORK CORRECTLY. NO BREAKERS WERE BLOWN. GOT THE SECOND ALTERNATOR BACK, THEN THE DEICE. NEXT, I TRIED TO CONTACT BAY APCH WITH MY HANDHELD WITHOUT SUCCESS. MY INTENT WAS TO DECLARE AN EMER AND GET A CLRNC TO CLB. I HAD A PERFECTLY FLYABLE ACFT ALBEIT IN SUB PAR VFR CONDITIONS. I KNEW WHERE I WAS AND WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE COASTAL RTE AND I HAD GYROS AND A WORKING HANDHELD VOR. I BELIEVED CORRECTLY THAT CONDITIONS IMPROVED TO THE N. I DECIDED TO CONTINUE RATHER THAN PLUNGE BACK INTO THE BAY AREA WITHOUT CERTAIN COMS. THE NEXT CHALLENGE WAS TO NAV TO POINT REYES WITHOUT PENETRATING SFO CLASS B AIRSPACE WHILE REMAINING VFR. THERE ARE SEVERAL LESSONS HERE WHERE CHANGES COULD IMPROVE SAFETY. LET ME OBSERVE FIRST THAT IT IS PRACTICALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO TOGGLE A HANDHELD BTWN 2 VORS TO DETERMINE INTERMEDIATE DISTANCES WHILE HAND FLYING. MARKING A TERMINAL CHART WITH TANGENTIAL RADIALS TO HEAVILY USED VORS (IN THIS CASE, PYE) AS WELL AS DME ARCS, WOULD HAVE HELPED. SECONDLY, THERE IS NO CORRESPONDENCE BTWN THE CLASS B SEGMENT BOUNDARIES AND VISUALLY OBSERVABLE FEATURES, WHICH MAY HAVE HELPED. STAYING VFR AND OUT OF CLASS B AIRSPACE WAS A HUGE WORKLOAD! ONCE PAST CLASS B AIRSPACE, I WAS ABLE TO CLB VFR BTWN LAYERS AND ULTIMATELY ON TOP. THE REST OF THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL, EXCEPT TO REMARK THAT VARIOUS PARTS OF THE AVIONICS GRADUALLY RETURNED TO USEFUL OP AS THE FLT PROGRESSED. 1 XPONDER AND 1 NAV/COM STILL SEEM INTERMITTENT. I HAVE NO REASONABLE EXPLANATION FOR WHAT HAPPENED, BUT WILL NOTE THAT SOLENOID CONTACTORS SEEMED TO BE WHAT WAS EFFECTED WHILE CURRENT SENSITIVE ITEMS LIKE BREAKERS WERE APPARENTLY NOT. HOW THE AVIONICS SELF-HEALED IS BEYOND MY COMPREHENSION.

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.