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BE36 pilot loses all electrical power after night takeoff. Judging the departure airport unsuitable due to heavy traffic, pilot continues flight for more than 1 hour before locating a field suitable for landing.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 631885 |
| Time | |
| Date | 200409 |
| Day | Fri |
| Local Time Of Day | 0001 To 0600 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : zzz.airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Altitude | msl bound lower : 2000 msl bound upper : 2500 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | IMC |
| Weather Elements | Fog other |
| Light | Night |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tracon : jax.tracon |
| Operator | general aviation : personal |
| Make Model Name | Bonanza 36 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Navigation In Use | other |
| Flight Phase | climbout : intermediate altitude cruise : level |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | other |
| Function | flight crew : single pilot |
| Qualification | pilot : private pilot : instrument |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 60 flight time total : 4200 flight time type : 3200 |
| ASRS Report | 631885 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | government : faa |
| Function | controller : approach |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | aircraft equipment problem : critical inflight encounter : vfr in imc inflight encounter : weather non adherence : far |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | flight crew : diverted to another airport flight crew : landed as precaution |
| Consequence | faa : reviewed incident with flight crew |
| Supplementary | |
| Problem Areas | Aircraft Flight Crew Human Performance |
| Primary Problem | Aircraft |
Narrative:
I had departed the ZZZ1 airport after midnight. I had climbed to 1600 ft and leveled off. I was on a northerly heading. Approximately 5 mins after leveling off I lost all communications followed by a complete electrical failure. I no longer had ZZZ1 in sight but also didn't feel it was appropriate to go back to the ZZZ1 airport without any radio communications and my transponder out. When I left ZZZ1 I was told helicopters were coming in at a rate of every 2 mins due to the impending hurricane hitting the east coast. I had observed the continuous lndgs while on the ground. I tried to reset the battery but to no avail. I pulled out my flashlights and set them up inside the airplane. Using the compass I proceeded north. I then started turns to the northeast and northwest looking for a place to land. I proceeded to areas where I saw lights hoping a city with an airport would be close by. Often I would locate a rotating beacon but the runways were unlit. I had no means of turning them on remotely. I would circle an airport trying to search out the runway patterns but never felt confident enough to land. I continued on my sweeping headings traveling for a little over an hour. During the flight I would go in and out of haze layers into IFR conditions. I maintained my altitude between 2000 ft and 2500 ft. The haze also affected my lateral visibility. Approximately 1 hour and 10 mins into the flight I located a large group of lights and proceeded to fly to that area. I saw a rotating beacon but once again I was unable to perfectly define the runways. I circled a number of times and then decided to head north again since I didn't want to waste any more fuel. A few moments later I decided to return feeling that this particular airport would be my best bet. As I returned I noticed the runway lights had been activated. I immediately manually lowered my landing gear and proceeded to land safely. When I landed I was greeted by a number of policemen. I asked where I was and was informed it was the ZZZ2 airport. The air traffic controller had contacted them. I was on the phone with the controller and she informed me she had seen me periodically on radar. She was the person who remotely turned on the lights. She then proceeded to ask what happened and I explained it to her. She then asked me if I had landed at the ZZZ airport and had my battery jumped and departed again. I told her that the ZZZ2 airport was my first and only landing. She said she had conflicting reports and then stated that I had come close to the nuclear power plan at ZZZ. I explained once again that I had poor visibility, no electronics and my only navigation tool was my compass. I never knew exactly where I was. Through a second controller I was connected to a third individual. I don't know his title but could only surmise he was talking with me due to being close to the power plant and the air traffic controller's message of me landing at ZZZ and departing again. I told him that if I had landed at ZZZ I would be talking with him on the phone from ZZZ.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: BE36 PLT LOSES ALL ELECTRICAL PWR AFTER NIGHT TKOF. JUDGING THE DEP ARPT UNSUITABLE DUE TO HVY TFC, PLT CONTINUES FLT FOR MORE THAN 1 HR BEFORE LOCATING A FIELD SUITABLE FOR LNDG.
Narrative: I HAD DEPARTED THE ZZZ1 ARPT AFTER MIDNIGHT. I HAD CLBED TO 1600 FT AND LEVELED OFF. I WAS ON A NORTHERLY HDG. APPROX 5 MINS AFTER LEVELING OFF I LOST ALL COMS FOLLOWED BY A COMPLETE ELECTRICAL FAILURE. I NO LONGER HAD ZZZ1 IN SIGHT BUT ALSO DIDN'T FEEL IT WAS APPROPRIATE TO GO BACK TO THE ZZZ1 ARPT WITHOUT ANY RADIO COMS AND MY XPONDER OUT. WHEN I LEFT ZZZ1 I WAS TOLD HELIS WERE COMING IN AT A RATE OF EVERY 2 MINS DUE TO THE IMPENDING HURRICANE HITTING THE EAST COAST. I HAD OBSERVED THE CONTINUOUS LNDGS WHILE ON THE GND. I TRIED TO RESET THE BATTERY BUT TO NO AVAIL. I PULLED OUT MY FLASHLIGHTS AND SET THEM UP INSIDE THE AIRPLANE. USING THE COMPASS I PROCEEDED N. I THEN STARTED TURNS TO THE NE AND NW LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO LAND. I PROCEEDED TO AREAS WHERE I SAW LIGHTS HOPING A CITY WITH AN ARPT WOULD BE CLOSE BY. OFTEN I WOULD LOCATE A ROTATING BEACON BUT THE RWYS WERE UNLIT. I HAD NO MEANS OF TURNING THEM ON REMOTELY. I WOULD CIRCLE AN ARPT TRYING TO SEARCH OUT THE RWY PATTERNS BUT NEVER FELT CONFIDENT ENOUGH TO LAND. I CONTINUED ON MY SWEEPING HDGS TRAVELING FOR A LITTLE OVER AN HR. DURING THE FLT I WOULD GO IN AND OUT OF HAZE LAYERS INTO IFR CONDITIONS. I MAINTAINED MY ALT BTWN 2000 FT AND 2500 FT. THE HAZE ALSO AFFECTED MY LATERAL VISIBILITY. APPROX 1 HR AND 10 MINS INTO THE FLT I LOCATED A LARGE GROUP OF LIGHTS AND PROCEEDED TO FLY TO THAT AREA. I SAW A ROTATING BEACON BUT ONCE AGAIN I WAS UNABLE TO PERFECTLY DEFINE THE RWYS. I CIRCLED A NUMBER OF TIMES AND THEN DECIDED TO HEAD N AGAIN SINCE I DIDN'T WANT TO WASTE ANY MORE FUEL. A FEW MOMENTS LATER I DECIDED TO RETURN FEELING THAT THIS PARTICULAR ARPT WOULD BE MY BEST BET. AS I RETURNED I NOTICED THE RWY LIGHTS HAD BEEN ACTIVATED. I IMMEDIATELY MANUALLY LOWERED MY LNDG GEAR AND PROCEEDED TO LAND SAFELY. WHEN I LANDED I WAS GREETED BY A NUMBER OF POLICEMEN. I ASKED WHERE I WAS AND WAS INFORMED IT WAS THE ZZZ2 ARPT. THE AIR TFC CTLR HAD CONTACTED THEM. I WAS ON THE PHONE WITH THE CTLR AND SHE INFORMED ME SHE HAD SEEN ME PERIODICALLY ON RADAR. SHE WAS THE PERSON WHO REMOTELY TURNED ON THE LIGHTS. SHE THEN PROCEEDED TO ASK WHAT HAPPENED AND I EXPLAINED IT TO HER. SHE THEN ASKED ME IF I HAD LANDED AT THE ZZZ ARPT AND HAD MY BATTERY JUMPED AND DEPARTED AGAIN. I TOLD HER THAT THE ZZZ2 ARPT WAS MY FIRST AND ONLY LNDG. SHE SAID SHE HAD CONFLICTING RPTS AND THEN STATED THAT I HAD COME CLOSE TO THE NUCLEAR PWR PLAN AT ZZZ. I EXPLAINED ONCE AGAIN THAT I HAD POOR VISIBILITY, NO ELECTRONICS AND MY ONLY NAV TOOL WAS MY COMPASS. I NEVER KNEW EXACTLY WHERE I WAS. THROUGH A SECOND CTLR I WAS CONNECTED TO A THIRD INDIVIDUAL. I DON'T KNOW HIS TITLE BUT COULD ONLY SURMISE HE WAS TALKING WITH ME DUE TO BEING CLOSE TO THE PWR PLANT AND THE AIR TFC CTLR'S MESSAGE OF ME LNDG AT ZZZ AND DEPARTING AGAIN. I TOLD HIM THAT IF I HAD LANDED AT ZZZ I WOULD BE TALKING WITH HIM ON THE PHONE FROM ZZZ.
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.