Narrative:

When our run up was finished we listened to ATIS. We noticed a little noise and static and parts of the broadcast were barely audible, but did not classify it as very unusual. I thought because of my location the reception was poor. We moved to a different location after the ground controller reported the signal as weak. The relocation seemed to make some improvement and we were cleared to taxi to the active after an inquiry as to direction of flight and destination. Again, nothing out of the ordinary. We contacted the tower and were cleared to depart runway 16 with instructions to remain VFR and turn to our requested course of 250 degrees. The controller suggested using another transmitter as we were coming through broken. We switched transmitters and the problem was not apparent on the second transmitter. We did hear some clicking sounds. I had only the day before gotten this radio back from the radio shop and it seemed to work well on the 2 trips I had made so far. We were told to contact center and after complying were advised to proceed on course and given a transponder code. We were asked for requested altitude and to standby. Some discussion followed again about the radio and we switched back to #2 communication, the radio we started out with. We received a traffic advisory which we acknowledged. We discussed the radio problems as we scanned for the traffic. We made no contact and were advised to turn to a heading of 280 degrees. We promptly complied and were further advised that we were in danger of penetrating the TCA. We dropped immediately a couple of hundred ft which would have put us well below the 2000' floor. We were cleared to return to our former course and asked for our destination again. We were advised that the traffic had passed well in back of us and was no longer a factor. We were cleared on course into the TCA at 3000' and to remain VFR. Fter starting our climb we were advised that we had violated the TCA. The radios resumed the intermittent operation as we attempted to clarify the situation. We were cleaning up the airplane, trying to solve the electrical problems while getting some conflicting VOR indications, and rapidly leaving the area as the controller asked repeatedly for my name, pilot certification # and home address. I attempted to give this information as the radios both stopped transmitting reliably. As we were now clear of the TCA we set 1200 on the transponder and proceeded on course. The VOR indicators no longer moved and the DME flickered and grew dim. The radios came and went, the voltmeter indicated a serious current drain. We checked the fuse panel while shutting down to only the essential navigation lights and more urgently searched for worcester airport which by our calculations had to be directly below. We circled at 4500' while looking for the beacon. Our situation seemed to be growing worse and after a few mins of fruitless searching we proceeded on a course further south in hope of finding southbridge. Soon I saw the beacon. We circled the area and tried a radio to turn on the lights as we passed lower. When the lights came on we manually extended the gear as we were now completely west/O electrical power and landed the aircraft west/O mishap. I would think that in the future we would all be better served by clear direction and help from the various agencies in getting around in the TCA. If you are in constant contact with the various controllers and it looks as though you are going to violate a restr area, or make some possibly hazardous deviation, you should be warned before it happens. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: reporter states he is sure he remained below TCA floor entire time. Home base is beverly airport and knows area well. At time of flight an east wind prevailed which would have pushed aircraft away from TCA's lower floor area. Subsequent avionics checks have found no real problem. Believes possible surge could cause problem or circuit breaker partially reactivated but appearing to be fully pushed in again. This happened with gear circuit breaker at one point. Avionics specialist suggests reporter replace old tube type radios with newer ones. Problem is recurring. FAA is threatening violation.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: POSSIBLE TCA PENETRATION BY GA SMA WITH ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS.

Narrative: WHEN OUR RUN UP WAS FINISHED WE LISTENED TO ATIS. WE NOTICED A LITTLE NOISE AND STATIC AND PARTS OF THE BROADCAST WERE BARELY AUDIBLE, BUT DID NOT CLASSIFY IT AS VERY UNUSUAL. I THOUGHT BECAUSE OF MY LOCATION THE RECEPTION WAS POOR. WE MOVED TO A DIFFERENT LOCATION AFTER THE GND CTLR RPTED THE SIGNAL AS WEAK. THE RELOCATION SEEMED TO MAKE SOME IMPROVEMENT AND WE WERE CLRED TO TAXI TO THE ACTIVE AFTER AN INQUIRY AS TO DIRECTION OF FLT AND DEST. AGAIN, NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY. WE CONTACTED THE TWR AND WERE CLRED TO DEPART RWY 16 WITH INSTRUCTIONS TO REMAIN VFR AND TURN TO OUR REQUESTED COURSE OF 250 DEGS. THE CTLR SUGGESTED USING ANOTHER XMITTER AS WE WERE COMING THROUGH BROKEN. WE SWITCHED XMITTERS AND THE PROB WAS NOT APPARENT ON THE SECOND XMITTER. WE DID HEAR SOME CLICKING SOUNDS. I HAD ONLY THE DAY BEFORE GOTTEN THIS RADIO BACK FROM THE RADIO SHOP AND IT SEEMED TO WORK WELL ON THE 2 TRIPS I HAD MADE SO FAR. WE WERE TOLD TO CONTACT CENTER AND AFTER COMPLYING WERE ADVISED TO PROCEED ON COURSE AND GIVEN A XPONDER CODE. WE WERE ASKED FOR REQUESTED ALT AND TO STANDBY. SOME DISCUSSION FOLLOWED AGAIN ABOUT THE RADIO AND WE SWITCHED BACK TO #2 COM, THE RADIO WE STARTED OUT WITH. WE RECEIVED A TFC ADVISORY WHICH WE ACKNOWLEDGED. WE DISCUSSED THE RADIO PROBS AS WE SCANNED FOR THE TFC. WE MADE NO CONTACT AND WERE ADVISED TO TURN TO A HDG OF 280 DEGS. WE PROMPTLY COMPLIED AND WERE FURTHER ADVISED THAT WE WERE IN DANGER OF PENETRATING THE TCA. WE DROPPED IMMEDIATELY A COUPLE OF HUNDRED FT WHICH WOULD HAVE PUT US WELL BELOW THE 2000' FLOOR. WE WERE CLRED TO RETURN TO OUR FORMER COURSE AND ASKED FOR OUR DEST AGAIN. WE WERE ADVISED THAT THE TFC HAD PASSED WELL IN BACK OF US AND WAS NO LONGER A FACTOR. WE WERE CLRED ON COURSE INTO THE TCA AT 3000' AND TO REMAIN VFR. FTER STARTING OUR CLB WE WERE ADVISED THAT WE HAD VIOLATED THE TCA. THE RADIOS RESUMED THE INTERMITTENT OPERATION AS WE ATTEMPTED TO CLARIFY THE SITUATION. WE WERE CLEANING UP THE AIRPLANE, TRYING TO SOLVE THE ELECTRICAL PROBS WHILE GETTING SOME CONFLICTING VOR INDICATIONS, AND RAPIDLY LEAVING THE AREA AS THE CTLR ASKED REPEATEDLY FOR MY NAME, PLT CERTIFICATION # AND HOME ADDRESS. I ATTEMPTED TO GIVE THIS INFO AS THE RADIOS BOTH STOPPED XMITTING RELIABLY. AS WE WERE NOW CLR OF THE TCA WE SET 1200 ON THE TRANSPONDER AND PROCEEDED ON COURSE. THE VOR INDICATORS NO LONGER MOVED AND THE DME FLICKERED AND GREW DIM. THE RADIOS CAME AND WENT, THE VOLTMETER INDICATED A SERIOUS CURRENT DRAIN. WE CHKED THE FUSE PANEL WHILE SHUTTING DOWN TO ONLY THE ESSENTIAL NAV LIGHTS AND MORE URGENTLY SEARCHED FOR WORCESTER ARPT WHICH BY OUR CALCULATIONS HAD TO BE DIRECTLY BELOW. WE CIRCLED AT 4500' WHILE LOOKING FOR THE BEACON. OUR SITUATION SEEMED TO BE GROWING WORSE AND AFTER A FEW MINS OF FRUITLESS SEARCHING WE PROCEEDED ON A COURSE FURTHER S IN HOPE OF FINDING SOUTHBRIDGE. SOON I SAW THE BEACON. WE CIRCLED THE AREA AND TRIED A RADIO TO TURN ON THE LIGHTS AS WE PASSED LOWER. WHEN THE LIGHTS CAME ON WE MANUALLY EXTENDED THE GEAR AS WE WERE NOW COMPLETELY W/O ELECTRICAL PWR AND LANDED THE ACFT W/O MISHAP. I WOULD THINK THAT IN THE FUTURE WE WOULD ALL BE BETTER SERVED BY CLEAR DIRECTION AND HELP FROM THE VARIOUS AGENCIES IN GETTING AROUND IN THE TCA. IF YOU ARE IN CONSTANT CONTACT WITH THE VARIOUS CTLRS AND IT LOOKS AS THOUGH YOU ARE GOING TO VIOLATE A RESTR AREA, OR MAKE SOME POSSIBLY HAZARDOUS DEVIATION, YOU SHOULD BE WARNED BEFORE IT HAPPENS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR STATES HE IS SURE HE REMAINED BELOW TCA FLOOR ENTIRE TIME. HOME BASE IS BEVERLY ARPT AND KNOWS AREA WELL. AT TIME OF FLT AN E WIND PREVAILED WHICH WOULD HAVE PUSHED ACFT AWAY FROM TCA'S LOWER FLOOR AREA. SUBSEQUENT AVIONICS CHKS HAVE FOUND NO REAL PROB. BELIEVES POSSIBLE SURGE COULD CAUSE PROB OR CB PARTIALLY REACTIVATED BUT APPEARING TO BE FULLY PUSHED IN AGAIN. THIS HAPPENED WITH GEAR CB AT ONE POINT. AVIONICS SPECIALIST SUGGESTS RPTR REPLACE OLD TUBE TYPE RADIOS WITH NEWER ONES. PROB IS RECURRING. FAA IS THREATENING VIOLATION.

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