Narrative:

Aircraft departed avl at approximately XA00 today en route to orl on an IFR flight plan. Filed flight plan was altered during flight as approved by greer approach to follow heading 178 degrees to orl. South of greenville, sc, the voltage meter showed an abnormally low indication. Electrical system was still functioning at that time. Voltage promptly improved spontaneously but soon decreased again. Troubleshooting efforts began. A request to be off frequency was granted by greer approach. Remedial efforts failed to raise the voltage and attempts to communicate with greer were unsuccessful. Troubleshooting continued. The last approved altitude and course assigned were followed as further corrective measures were taken. All unnecessary electrical equipment was turned off. The system was recharging and voltage improved. Near augusta, GA, adequate recharging allowed further communication first to ZTL and then to augusta approach. I informed augusta of the electrical problem. At that time, the system worked and seemed corrected. Augusta informed me that they knew our position and could 'see' us on radar. Before further communication with augusta could occur, electricity was again abruptly lost. Since the system previously recharged and returned to function, the same efforts were again attempted. After a time period previously found adequate to recharge the system and resume radio communication, the voltage was not yet normal. A weak, intermittent signal was received but I could not transmit. It was felt that a longer time for recharging might correct the problem. In the meantime, a handheld radio was prepared for use. A delay occurred in connecting the radio to an external antennae cable. Further delay occurred in finding this handheld radio had a dead battery and spare batteries were not available. Position after the delays above was in southeast georgia maintaining the last assigned route and altitude. Throughout the flight, attempts were made to avoid any restr airspace. A course deviation toward the coast was made to avoid jacksonville international airport airspace. By this time, the voltage was slowly improving. Receipt of radio xmissions raised hopes that my own xmissions could reach ATC. My radio xmissions failed with attempts made while traveling along and south of jacksonville. While maintaining the assigned route, I looked for a suitable uncontrolled airport to land as soon as practicable. Deland was considered, but the airport was not visually found. The next reasonable choice was orlando country airport at apopka, fl. Since further improvements in voltage seemed to be occurring during this time of continued recharging of the electrical system, one more attempt to reach ATC was planned. Efforts to reach orlando approach failed even as the aircraft neared the orlando area. Restr airspace was avoided and the uncontrolled airport at apopka was found. Before landing, a cellular telephone was used to call ATC. Communication was successful and clearance to land at orl was granted without functioning radio communication. In hindsight, I would have done some things differently. When I was able to briefly reach augusta approach, I should have canceled IFR and continued VFR to an appropriate uncontrolled airport. Further, in hindsight, I now know that all of my many time consuming efforts to resume communication were eventually unsuccessful so that I should have landed soon after communication was lost. I can now see that it would have been better to attempt a correction of the problem for only a limited period of time before landing for repair and telephone communication with ATC. Lastly, I will make sure that the handheld radio is fully charged and that spare batteries are available. I can only hope that my flight during lost communication did not inconvenience other pilots and passenger to any significant degree. My apologies also extend to ATC personnel who undoubtedly were frustrated in their attempts to communicate with me.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA23 PLT, AFTER EXPERIENCING ACFT ELECTRICAL FAILURE, CONTINUED ON AN IFR FLT, IN VMC, FROM AVL TO ORL.

Narrative: ACFT DEPARTED AVL AT APPROX XA00 TODAY ENRTE TO ORL ON AN IFR FLT PLAN. FILED FLT PLAN WAS ALTERED DURING FLT AS APPROVED BY GREER APCH TO FOLLOW HDG 178 DEGS TO ORL. S OF GREENVILLE, SC, THE VOLTAGE METER SHOWED AN ABNORMALLY LOW INDICATION. ELECTRICAL SYS WAS STILL FUNCTIONING AT THAT TIME. VOLTAGE PROMPTLY IMPROVED SPONTANEOUSLY BUT SOON DECREASED AGAIN. TROUBLESHOOTING EFFORTS BEGAN. A REQUEST TO BE OFF FREQ WAS GRANTED BY GREER APCH. REMEDIAL EFFORTS FAILED TO RAISE THE VOLTAGE AND ATTEMPTS TO COMMUNICATE WITH GREER WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. TROUBLESHOOTING CONTINUED. THE LAST APPROVED ALT AND COURSE ASSIGNED WERE FOLLOWED AS FURTHER CORRECTIVE MEASURES WERE TAKEN. ALL UNNECESSARY ELECTRICAL EQUIP WAS TURNED OFF. THE SYS WAS RECHARGING AND VOLTAGE IMPROVED. NEAR AUGUSTA, GA, ADEQUATE RECHARGING ALLOWED FURTHER COM FIRST TO ZTL AND THEN TO AUGUSTA APCH. I INFORMED AUGUSTA OF THE ELECTRICAL PROB. AT THAT TIME, THE SYS WORKED AND SEEMED CORRECTED. AUGUSTA INFORMED ME THAT THEY KNEW OUR POS AND COULD 'SEE' US ON RADAR. BEFORE FURTHER COM WITH AUGUSTA COULD OCCUR, ELECTRICITY WAS AGAIN ABRUPTLY LOST. SINCE THE SYS PREVIOUSLY RECHARGED AND RETURNED TO FUNCTION, THE SAME EFFORTS WERE AGAIN ATTEMPTED. AFTER A TIME PERIOD PREVIOUSLY FOUND ADEQUATE TO RECHARGE THE SYS AND RESUME RADIO COM, THE VOLTAGE WAS NOT YET NORMAL. A WEAK, INTERMITTENT SIGNAL WAS RECEIVED BUT I COULD NOT XMIT. IT WAS FELT THAT A LONGER TIME FOR RECHARGING MIGHT CORRECT THE PROB. IN THE MEANTIME, A HANDHELD RADIO WAS PREPARED FOR USE. A DELAY OCCURRED IN CONNECTING THE RADIO TO AN EXTERNAL ANTENNAE CABLE. FURTHER DELAY OCCURRED IN FINDING THIS HANDHELD RADIO HAD A DEAD BATTERY AND SPARE BATTERIES WERE NOT AVAILABLE. POS AFTER THE DELAYS ABOVE WAS IN SE GEORGIA MAINTAINING THE LAST ASSIGNED RTE AND ALT. THROUGHOUT THE FLT, ATTEMPTS WERE MADE TO AVOID ANY RESTR AIRSPACE. A COURSE DEV TOWARD THE COAST WAS MADE TO AVOID JACKSONVILLE INTL ARPT AIRSPACE. BY THIS TIME, THE VOLTAGE WAS SLOWLY IMPROVING. RECEIPT OF RADIO XMISSIONS RAISED HOPES THAT MY OWN XMISSIONS COULD REACH ATC. MY RADIO XMISSIONS FAILED WITH ATTEMPTS MADE WHILE TRAVELING ALONG AND S OF JACKSONVILLE. WHILE MAINTAINING THE ASSIGNED RTE, I LOOKED FOR A SUITABLE UNCTLED ARPT TO LAND AS SOON AS PRACTICABLE. DELAND WAS CONSIDERED, BUT THE ARPT WAS NOT VISUALLY FOUND. THE NEXT REASONABLE CHOICE WAS ORLANDO COUNTRY ARPT AT APOPKA, FL. SINCE FURTHER IMPROVEMENTS IN VOLTAGE SEEMED TO BE OCCURRING DURING THIS TIME OF CONTINUED RECHARGING OF THE ELECTRICAL SYS, ONE MORE ATTEMPT TO REACH ATC WAS PLANNED. EFFORTS TO REACH ORLANDO APCH FAILED EVEN AS THE ACFT NEARED THE ORLANDO AREA. RESTR AIRSPACE WAS AVOIDED AND THE UNCTLED ARPT AT APOPKA WAS FOUND. BEFORE LNDG, A CELLULAR TELEPHONE WAS USED TO CALL ATC. COM WAS SUCCESSFUL AND CLRNC TO LAND AT ORL WAS GRANTED WITHOUT FUNCTIONING RADIO COM. IN HINDSIGHT, I WOULD HAVE DONE SOME THINGS DIFFERENTLY. WHEN I WAS ABLE TO BRIEFLY REACH AUGUSTA APCH, I SHOULD HAVE CANCELED IFR AND CONTINUED VFR TO AN APPROPRIATE UNCTLED ARPT. FURTHER, IN HINDSIGHT, I NOW KNOW THAT ALL OF MY MANY TIME CONSUMING EFFORTS TO RESUME COM WERE EVENTUALLY UNSUCCESSFUL SO THAT I SHOULD HAVE LANDED SOON AFTER COM WAS LOST. I CAN NOW SEE THAT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER TO ATTEMPT A CORRECTION OF THE PROB FOR ONLY A LIMITED PERIOD OF TIME BEFORE LNDG FOR REPAIR AND TELEPHONE COM WITH ATC. LASTLY, I WILL MAKE SURE THAT THE HANDHELD RADIO IS FULLY CHARGED AND THAT SPARE BATTERIES ARE AVAILABLE. I CAN ONLY HOPE THAT MY FLT DURING LOST COM DID NOT INCONVENIENCE OTHER PLTS AND PAX TO ANY SIGNIFICANT DEGREE. MY APOLOGIES ALSO EXTEND TO ATC PERSONNEL WHO UNDOUBTEDLY WERE FRUSTRATED IN THEIR ATTEMPTS TO COMMUNICATE WITH ME.

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.