Narrative:

On departure out of ZZZ at approximately 1000 ft MSL electrical system power failure occurred. Failure was characterized by intermittent power loss and restoration occurring approximately once per second. Aircraft primary flight and navigation instruments were cycling on and off at the same rate of about once per second. Since aircraft is equipped with CRT primary flight and navigation instruments; display tubes never fully came into view once power failure began to occur. At this time aircraft communications with departure were also intermittent due to cycling power. Aircraft was now leveled at 2000 ft MSL and control was transferred to the captain. First officer engaged emergency power switch to restore captain's flight instruments and #1 navigation and #1 communication. Captain regained contact with ATC and was instructed to turn to 330 degree heading and climb to 3500 ft MSL. Power on the aircraft was still cycling on and off and first officer elected to start the APU. Once APU was running first officer had to manually disconnect main engine generators from the electrical system and connect APU. System should have done this automatically if there had been a failure in a single side generator. Aircrew elected to declare an emergency due to uncertainty if failure was caused by a generator malfunction or an electrical short within the system and return to ZZZ. Aircrew returned the aircraft to ZZZ for emergency landing. During the beginning of this event the crew was unable to navigate or communicate with ATC due to the cycling power. This may have caused the aircraft to encroach into the restricted airspace around the area. Additionally due to extensive traffic in the area; aircraft may have unknowingly caused TA's or RA's for other aircraft operating in the vicinity prior to reestablishing contact with ZZZ departure.callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter does not know at this time what caused this malfunction but believes that the right generator is a primary suspect. There had been a previous write-up for the right generator being off frequency. The list of suspect components include generator control circuit; idg; AC cross tie lockout relay; and the generator itself.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MD88 CREW RPTS ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTION THAT CAUSES CYCLING AC POWER OUTAGES. CREW ACTION IS REQUIRED TO REGAIN POWER FOR COMMUNICATION AND NAVIGATION.

Narrative: ON DEPARTURE OUT OF ZZZ AT APPROXIMATELY 1000 FT MSL ELECTRICAL SYSTEM POWER FAILURE OCCURRED. FAILURE WAS CHARACTERIZED BY INTERMITTENT POWER LOSS AND RESTORATION OCCURRING APPROXIMATELY ONCE PER SECOND. AIRCRAFT PRIMARY FLIGHT AND NAVIGATION INSTRUMENTS WERE CYCLING ON AND OFF AT THE SAME RATE OF ABOUT ONCE PER SECOND. SINCE AIRCRAFT IS EQUIPPED WITH CRT PRIMARY FLIGHT AND NAVIGATION INSTRUMENTS; DISPLAY TUBES NEVER FULLY CAME INTO VIEW ONCE POWER FAILURE BEGAN TO OCCUR. AT THIS TIME AIRCRAFT COMMUNICATIONS WITH DEPARTURE WERE ALSO INTERMITTENT DUE TO CYCLING POWER. AIRCRAFT WAS NOW LEVELED AT 2000 FT MSL AND CONTROL WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE CAPTAIN. FO ENGAGED EMERGENCY POWER SWITCH TO RESTORE CAPTAIN'S FLIGHT INSTRUMENTS AND #1 NAV AND #1 COM. CAPTAIN REGAINED CONTACT WITH ATC AND WAS INSTRUCTED TO TURN TO 330 DEGREE HEADING AND CLIMB TO 3500 FT MSL. POWER ON THE AIRCRAFT WAS STILL CYCLING ON AND OFF AND FO ELECTED TO START THE APU. ONCE APU WAS RUNNING FO HAD TO MANUALLY DISCONNECT MAIN ENGINE GENERATORS FROM THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND CONNECT APU. SYSTEM SHOULD HAVE DONE THIS AUTOMATICALLY IF THERE HAD BEEN A FAILURE IN A SINGLE SIDE GENERATOR. AIRCREW ELECTED TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY DUE TO UNCERTAINTY IF FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY A GENERATOR MALFUNCTION OR AN ELECTRICAL SHORT WITHIN THE SYSTEM AND RETURN TO ZZZ. AIRCREW RETURNED THE AIRCRAFT TO ZZZ FOR EMERGENCY LANDING. DURING THE BEGINNING OF THIS EVENT THE CREW WAS UNABLE TO NAVIGATE OR COMMUNICATE WITH ATC DUE TO THE CYCLING POWER. THIS MAY HAVE CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO ENCROACH INTO THE RESTRICTED AIRSPACE AROUND THE AREA. ADDITIONALLY DUE TO EXTENSIVE TRAFFIC IN THE AREA; AIRCRAFT MAY HAVE UNKNOWINGLY CAUSED TA'S OR RA'S FOR OTHER AIRCRAFT OPERATING IN THE VICINITY PRIOR TO REESTABLISHING CONTACT WITH ZZZ DEPARTURE.CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR DOES NOT KNOW AT THIS TIME WHAT CAUSED THIS MALFUNCTION BUT BELIEVES THAT THE RIGHT GENERATOR IS A PRIMARY SUSPECT. THERE HAD BEEN A PREVIOUS WRITE-UP FOR THE RIGHT GENERATOR BEING OFF FREQUENCY. THE LIST OF SUSPECT COMPONENTS INCLUDE GENERATOR CONTROL CIRCUIT; IDG; AC CROSS TIE LOCKOUT RELAY; AND THE GENERATOR ITSELF.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.