<< >> NASA ASRS Report 1660639, June 2019

Van's rv-7 pilot reported experiencing electrical fumes attributed to a faulty alternator; resulting in an inflight diversion.

Attributes
ACN	1660639
Time
Date	201906
Local Time Of Day	1201-1800
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.Airport
State Reference	US
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	RV-7
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	Cruise
Route In Use	Direct
Flight Plan	VFR
Component
Aircraft Component	AC Generator/Alternator
Person 1
Function	Single Pilot
Qualification	Flight Crew Instrument Flight Crew Commercial
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 270 Flight Crew Total 767 Flight Crew Type 270
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical Deviation - Procedural Clearance Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor

Narrative:

Pilot received a burning smell through the air [ducts]. I advised approach and asked if there were any controlled fires normally for this area. ATC said no and asked if it was my airplane. I replied; I would monitor my airplane and keep a visual for any fires. The smell turned out to be my alternator going bad. A piece which covers; I believe voltage regulator; caused the alternator to go bad. My battery voltage dropped from 14.5 to 12.5. This happened while flying from ZZZ to ZZZ1. I turned off comm 2 and all electric switches; leaving just the bare minimum on to legally land. I eventually diverted to ZZZ2 and called my mechanic from ZZZ1. The alternator was replaced because it was not keeping charge; along with other pieces in the electrical system.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: Van's RV-7 pilot reported experiencing electrical fumes attributed to a faulty alternator; resulting in an inflight diversion.

Narrative: Pilot received a burning smell through the air [ducts]. I advised Approach and asked if there were any controlled fires normally for this area. ATC said no and asked if it was my airplane. I replied; I would monitor my airplane and keep a visual for any fires. The smell turned out to be my alternator going bad. A piece which covers; I believe voltage regulator; caused the alternator to go bad. My battery voltage dropped from 14.5 to 12.5. This happened while flying from ZZZ to ZZZ1. I turned off Comm 2 and all electric switches; leaving just the bare minimum on to legally land. I eventually diverted to ZZZ2 and called my mechanic from ZZZ1. The alternator was replaced because it was not keeping charge; along with other pieces in the electrical system.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.