Narrative:

This was the second flight after the aircraft had been signed off for the annual inspection. The a&P who did most of the work accompanied me on the second flight after the annual was signed off to observe the engine monitors and other flight systems. Approximately 5-10 mins after takeoff; the engine monitor went dead and shortly thereafter; all of the avionics including radios went dead. After multiple attempts to correct the problem; I decided to head toward an airport and manually crank the gear down. After cranking the gear down; it did not appear to be locked but; with no power; there was really no way of knowing. I lost count on the turns of the crank; but it would not go any further. My a&P said that I turned it 60 turns; per the poh. Due to the fact that we had no landing gear locked indication; I tried to reverse it; and I now think it was partially down; and I may have cranked it back up completely. I took off knowing that I had 60 gallons total in the tip tanks and 40 gallons in the auxiliary tanks which is more than 3 hours of fuel for what should have been a 30 min flight. The problem in hindsight is that with an electrical failure; you really cannot safely switch tanks at low altitude because you do not have a fuel pump so; in theory; I really did not have 100 gallons; but 60 unusable; but you're not supposed to land with less than 10 gallons a side. So after using up 30 gallons of my takeoff in the first segment of the flight with takeoff; I had 1 hour of fuel usable on board. The gear crank finally locked up; and I decided to attempt a landing at ZZZ. The landing on the belly was uneventful with no injuries. What would I do differently? I am going to get more familiar with my landing gear system and do several hand cranks to lower the gear manually on jacks before my next flight. I will never take off again without topping all of the fuel tanks since the auxiliary tanks become useless at low altitudes with no electrical power. Third; I think there should be more than 1 indicator light for the landing gear and a visual way of verifying if the gear is extended or not. I am going to look for aftermarket products that will do this. In addition; the gear warning horn did not work either; but we are not sure that there was any power getting to the warning horn. We were turning battery switch on and off to check the gear light and to see if the warning horn would sound and it never did as I retarded the throttles on 2 different occasions. I also felt the pressure of having to ensure the safety of the passenger. I might have been more open to spending more time to try to resolve the problem had I been in the plane by myself. I did not want to run out of fuel and risk a much more grave situation for me and my passenger. The possibility does exist that the gear was broken and I could not have done anything any differently. The damage to the aircraft was minimized due to a very good landing and the fact that the gear was up in the belly.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A C320 PILOT LOST ALL ELECTRICAL POWER AND WAS UNABLE TO LOWER THE GEAR. HE MADE A GEAR UP LANDING WITH NO INJURIES.

Narrative: THIS WAS THE SECOND FLT AFTER THE ACFT HAD BEEN SIGNED OFF FOR THE ANNUAL INSPECTION. THE A&P WHO DID MOST OF THE WORK ACCOMPANIED ME ON THE SECOND FLT AFTER THE ANNUAL WAS SIGNED OFF TO OBSERVE THE ENG MONITORS AND OTHER FLT SYSTEMS. APPROX 5-10 MINS AFTER TKOF; THE ENG MONITOR WENT DEAD AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER; ALL OF THE AVIONICS INCLUDING RADIOS WENT DEAD. AFTER MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS TO CORRECT THE PROB; I DECIDED TO HEAD TOWARD AN ARPT AND MANUALLY CRANK THE GEAR DOWN. AFTER CRANKING THE GEAR DOWN; IT DID NOT APPEAR TO BE LOCKED BUT; WITH NO PWR; THERE WAS REALLY NO WAY OF KNOWING. I LOST COUNT ON THE TURNS OF THE CRANK; BUT IT WOULD NOT GO ANY FURTHER. MY A&P SAID THAT I TURNED IT 60 TURNS; PER THE POH. DUE TO THE FACT THAT WE HAD NO LNDG GEAR LOCKED INDICATION; I TRIED TO REVERSE IT; AND I NOW THINK IT WAS PARTIALLY DOWN; AND I MAY HAVE CRANKED IT BACK UP COMPLETELY. I TOOK OFF KNOWING THAT I HAD 60 GALLONS TOTAL IN THE TIP TANKS AND 40 GALLONS IN THE AUX TANKS WHICH IS MORE THAN 3 HRS OF FUEL FOR WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A 30 MIN FLT. THE PROB IN HINDSIGHT IS THAT WITH AN ELECTRICAL FAILURE; YOU REALLY CANNOT SAFELY SWITCH TANKS AT LOW ALT BECAUSE YOU DO NOT HAVE A FUEL PUMP SO; IN THEORY; I REALLY DID NOT HAVE 100 GALLONS; BUT 60 UNUSABLE; BUT YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO LAND WITH LESS THAN 10 GALLONS A SIDE. SO AFTER USING UP 30 GALLONS OF MY TKOF IN THE FIRST SEGMENT OF THE FLT WITH TKOF; I HAD 1 HR OF FUEL USABLE ON BOARD. THE GEAR CRANK FINALLY LOCKED UP; AND I DECIDED TO ATTEMPT A LNDG AT ZZZ. THE LNDG ON THE BELLY WAS UNEVENTFUL WITH NO INJURIES. WHAT WOULD I DO DIFFERENTLY? I AM GOING TO GET MORE FAMILIAR WITH MY LNDG GEAR SYSTEM AND DO SEVERAL HAND CRANKS TO LOWER THE GEAR MANUALLY ON JACKS BEFORE MY NEXT FLT. I WILL NEVER TAKE OFF AGAIN WITHOUT TOPPING ALL OF THE FUEL TANKS SINCE THE AUX TANKS BECOME USELESS AT LOW ALTS WITH NO ELECTRICAL PWR. THIRD; I THINK THERE SHOULD BE MORE THAN 1 INDICATOR LIGHT FOR THE LNDG GEAR AND A VISUAL WAY OF VERIFYING IF THE GEAR IS EXTENDED OR NOT. I AM GOING TO LOOK FOR AFTERMARKET PRODUCTS THAT WILL DO THIS. IN ADDITION; THE GEAR WARNING HORN DID NOT WORK EITHER; BUT WE ARE NOT SURE THAT THERE WAS ANY PWR GETTING TO THE WARNING HORN. WE WERE TURNING BATTERY SWITCH ON AND OFF TO CHK THE GEAR LIGHT AND TO SEE IF THE WARNING HORN WOULD SOUND AND IT NEVER DID AS I RETARDED THE THROTTLES ON 2 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS. I ALSO FELT THE PRESSURE OF HAVING TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THE PAX. I MIGHT HAVE BEEN MORE OPEN TO SPENDING MORE TIME TO TRY TO RESOLVE THE PROB HAD I BEEN IN THE PLANE BY MYSELF. I DID NOT WANT TO RUN OUT OF FUEL AND RISK A MUCH MORE GRAVE SITUATION FOR ME AND MY PAX. THE POSSIBILITY DOES EXIST THAT THE GEAR WAS BROKEN AND I COULD NOT HAVE DONE ANYTHING ANY DIFFERENTLY. THE DAMAGE TO THE ACFT WAS MINIMIZED DUE TO A VERY GOOD LNDG AND THE FACT THAT THE GEAR WAS UP IN THE BELLY.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 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.