Narrative:

I was en route from rno to phx. Due to winds and widely scattered cells ahead, I elected to fuel stop in kingman, az. Fueling and filing of a new IFR flight plan was completed. While attempting engine start, the starter would not engage. After some discussion it was decided to jump start from an external source, thereby determining if the problem was a weak battery or elsewhere. The engine immediately started and the subsequent VFR departure was normal. An IFR clearance was obtained en route and I climbed to 11000'. The flight proceeded normally until just north of and inbound to the salt river VOR. In a single instant, the electrical system failed. The off flags on the navigation receivers dropped, all LCD displays disappeared, and there was no reply light light on the transponder. I attempted radio contact anyway, but there was no sidetone in my headset, so I doubted I was transmitting. I heard no other radio traffic. I was IMC at the time, and squawked 7700'. I knew that the destination area was VFR. However, I was transient and therefore unfamiliar with the area. It took a moment to realize that I carry a portable transceiver for this very situation. I pulled it out, connected the headset, and attached it to the external antennae cable. Unfortunately, I could not monitor the primary center frequency. That information was locked in the memory of the now inoperative panel radio. I had fallen into the trap of not manually logging on paper the assigned frequency. The deceptiveness of FLIP-flop (active standby frequency) radios is that you can always go back to the previous frequency with the touch of a button. Provided, of course, it's working. I attempted contact on 121.5 but got no response. I navigated as best as possible, and soon broke out into VMC conditions. I headed for the first airport I saw. Some quick dead reckoning and the VFR chart I had been using to monitor flight progress led em to believe, correctly, that it was scottsdale. I changed hand-held frequency to scottsdale tower and was able to make contact. I descended in a spiral over the airport and landed uneventfully, although manual gear extension was required. Strangely, upon lowering the gear during downwind, the electrical system resumed functioning. Maintenance examined the aircraft the next day and determined that the battery had shorted; at least one cell was dry. This electrical short caused the electrical system to fail. I speculate that the gear extension caused an abrupt pitch change that broke the short, thereby resuming electrical power. The incident was caused because I readily accepted that the engine start problem was 'simply' due to a 'weak' battery that needed to be corrected 'soon.' in retrospect, the aircraft had just been flown for several hours and should have been fully charged. The previous engine start was flawless. There were no unusual ammeter indications during the previous flight, and thus the battery should not have been a problem. However, this incongruity did not strike me at the time. The lessons for the future: 1) do not accept a jump start west/O examining why a battery may be weak. In this case, the addition of water may have prevented this event. 2) log each assigned frequency on paper, if you have radios using LCD's. The older style mechanical displays don't present the same potential trap. 3) carry the hand-held transceiver fully configured and within quick reach. I lost time and effort retrieving and connecting the hand-held unit. There was more than enough to do west/O adding this task to the workload. 4) always monitor your IFR flight with a VFR chart. Being able to quickly dead reckon and identify a suitable airport reduced my workload and stress tremendously. I was at least not scrambling for charts after I connected the radio. 5) keep your WX information current and lots of fuel. Again, the stress on me was significantly reduced because I knew the destination to be VFR having been updated only an hour before, and I had lots of fuel. Therefore I had options.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PRIMARY ELECTRICAL SUPPLY PROBLEM. LOSS OF RADIOS AND ALL ELECTRICAL POWER WHILE ON IFR FLT PLAN IN IMC CONDITIONS.

Narrative: I WAS ENRTE FROM RNO TO PHX. DUE TO WINDS AND WIDELY SCATTERED CELLS AHEAD, I ELECTED TO FUEL STOP IN KINGMAN, AZ. FUELING AND FILING OF A NEW IFR FLT PLAN WAS COMPLETED. WHILE ATTEMPTING ENG START, THE STARTER WOULD NOT ENGAGE. AFTER SOME DISCUSSION IT WAS DECIDED TO JUMP START FROM AN EXTERNAL SOURCE, THEREBY DETERMINING IF THE PROB WAS A WEAK BATTERY OR ELSEWHERE. THE ENG IMMEDIATELY STARTED AND THE SUBSEQUENT VFR DEP WAS NORMAL. AN IFR CLRNC WAS OBTAINED ENRTE AND I CLBED TO 11000'. THE FLT PROCEEDED NORMALLY UNTIL JUST N OF AND INBND TO THE SALT RIVER VOR. IN A SINGLE INSTANT, THE ELECTRICAL SYS FAILED. THE OFF FLAGS ON THE NAV RECEIVERS DROPPED, ALL LCD DISPLAYS DISAPPEARED, AND THERE WAS NO REPLY LIGHT LIGHT ON THE XPONDER. I ATTEMPTED RADIO CONTACT ANYWAY, BUT THERE WAS NO SIDETONE IN MY HEADSET, SO I DOUBTED I WAS XMITTING. I HEARD NO OTHER RADIO TFC. I WAS IMC AT THE TIME, AND SQUAWKED 7700'. I KNEW THAT THE DEST AREA WAS VFR. HOWEVER, I WAS TRANSIENT AND THEREFORE UNFAMILIAR WITH THE AREA. IT TOOK A MOMENT TO REALIZE THAT I CARRY A PORTABLE TRANSCEIVER FOR THIS VERY SITUATION. I PULLED IT OUT, CONNECTED THE HEADSET, AND ATTACHED IT TO THE EXTERNAL ANTENNAE CABLE. UNFORTUNATELY, I COULD NOT MONITOR THE PRIMARY CENTER FREQ. THAT INFO WAS LOCKED IN THE MEMORY OF THE NOW INOP PANEL RADIO. I HAD FALLEN INTO THE TRAP OF NOT MANUALLY LOGGING ON PAPER THE ASSIGNED FREQ. THE DECEPTIVENESS OF FLIP-FLOP (ACTIVE STANDBY FREQ) RADIOS IS THAT YOU CAN ALWAYS GO BACK TO THE PREVIOUS FREQ WITH THE TOUCH OF A BUTTON. PROVIDED, OF COURSE, IT'S WORKING. I ATTEMPTED CONTACT ON 121.5 BUT GOT NO RESPONSE. I NAVIGATED AS BEST AS POSSIBLE, AND SOON BROKE OUT INTO VMC CONDITIONS. I HEADED FOR THE FIRST ARPT I SAW. SOME QUICK DEAD RECKONING AND THE VFR CHART I HAD BEEN USING TO MONITOR FLT PROGRESS LED EM TO BELIEVE, CORRECTLY, THAT IT WAS SCOTTSDALE. I CHANGED HAND-HELD FREQ TO SCOTTSDALE TWR AND WAS ABLE TO MAKE CONTACT. I DSNDED IN A SPIRAL OVER THE ARPT AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY, ALTHOUGH MANUAL GEAR EXTENSION WAS REQUIRED. STRANGELY, UPON LOWERING THE GEAR DURING DOWNWIND, THE ELECTRICAL SYS RESUMED FUNCTIONING. MAINT EXAMINED THE ACFT THE NEXT DAY AND DETERMINED THAT THE BATTERY HAD SHORTED; AT LEAST ONE CELL WAS DRY. THIS ELECTRICAL SHORT CAUSED THE ELECTRICAL SYS TO FAIL. I SPECULATE THAT THE GEAR EXTENSION CAUSED AN ABRUPT PITCH CHANGE THAT BROKE THE SHORT, THEREBY RESUMING ELECTRICAL PWR. THE INCIDENT WAS CAUSED BECAUSE I READILY ACCEPTED THAT THE ENG START PROB WAS 'SIMPLY' DUE TO A 'WEAK' BATTERY THAT NEEDED TO BE CORRECTED 'SOON.' IN RETROSPECT, THE ACFT HAD JUST BEEN FLOWN FOR SEVERAL HRS AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN FULLY CHARGED. THE PREVIOUS ENG START WAS FLAWLESS. THERE WERE NO UNUSUAL AMMETER INDICATIONS DURING THE PREVIOUS FLT, AND THUS THE BATTERY SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN A PROB. HOWEVER, THIS INCONGRUITY DID NOT STRIKE ME AT THE TIME. THE LESSONS FOR THE FUTURE: 1) DO NOT ACCEPT A JUMP START W/O EXAMINING WHY A BATTERY MAY BE WEAK. IN THIS CASE, THE ADDITION OF WATER MAY HAVE PREVENTED THIS EVENT. 2) LOG EACH ASSIGNED FREQ ON PAPER, IF YOU HAVE RADIOS USING LCD'S. THE OLDER STYLE MECHANICAL DISPLAYS DON'T PRESENT THE SAME POTENTIAL TRAP. 3) CARRY THE HAND-HELD TRANSCEIVER FULLY CONFIGURED AND WITHIN QUICK REACH. I LOST TIME AND EFFORT RETRIEVING AND CONNECTING THE HAND-HELD UNIT. THERE WAS MORE THAN ENOUGH TO DO W/O ADDING THIS TASK TO THE WORKLOAD. 4) ALWAYS MONITOR YOUR IFR FLT WITH A VFR CHART. BEING ABLE TO QUICKLY DEAD RECKON AND IDENT A SUITABLE ARPT REDUCED MY WORKLOAD AND STRESS TREMENDOUSLY. I WAS AT LEAST NOT SCRAMBLING FOR CHARTS AFTER I CONNECTED THE RADIO. 5) KEEP YOUR WX INFO CURRENT AND LOTS OF FUEL. AGAIN, THE STRESS ON ME WAS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED BECAUSE I KNEW THE DEST TO BE VFR HAVING BEEN UPDATED ONLY AN HR BEFORE, AND I HAD LOTS OF FUEL. THEREFORE I HAD OPTIONS.

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.