Narrative:

On sep/xa/98 at approximately XA00, myself and a passenger departed boeing field in seattle, wa, for hillsboro, or. We arrived in hillsboro to meet a friend and take a quick flight around the hillsboro area. We were in the air for roughly 25 mins and then returned to the hillsboro airport to drop off my friend. We were on the ground for about 8 mins. We said good-bye and me and my original passenger got back in the plane to return to boeing field. When I attempted to start the engine, the propeller had a really tough time turning over. I tried it again and there was absolutely no power. I found this to be quite odd due to the fact that I had obeyed my checklist for proper shutdown and I did not leave the master switch on. Quickly, I got a line person and had him check things over. He attempted to give the plane a jump. He put the cables to the battery and let it charge up. After 15 mins I tried again to start the plane but it would not start. As it turned out I had to spend the night in hillsboro in hope of getting a certified mechanic to look at the plane the next day. On sep/xb/98 I got a mechanic and he inspected the plane. He tested the battery and said the power was far below normal. He then tried to put more power back into the battery and was successful. He then signed off the discrepancy in the flight logs. I departed hillsboro for boeing field in seattle. In addition to filing a flight plan, I requested flight following for added safety. About 15 NM northwest of kelso, wa, the person at flight following told me that I was disappearing from his radar. At about this same time I noticed the voltage light was illuminated and the amps indicated a deflection. Following procedure, I went through my checklist in hope of alleviating the problem. I started to steer the plane more westerly away from V495 due to the fact there were more available airstrips in that direction. Soon, my communication with my passenger failed and we resorted to simply yelling so we could hear one another. In the distance, I saw gray aaf and in the name of safety decided the best course of action was to land the plane as soon as I could. I realized that I would encroach upon restr airspace, but I considered the situation an emergency and knew that an emergency situation would have precedence over me flying into a restr airspace. I waggled my wings to let the tower know I had a problem and guided the plane down to safety. I understand that I could have chosen another airstrip to land at, however, I saw that there was absolutely no other traffic in my vicinity and decided that since my communication was gone that it would be safest to simply get the plane on the ground. Once on the ground, I contacted FBO at boeing field from which I rented the plane. I told an instructor there what had happened and to my astonishment he questioned as to why I just did not continue north up to auburn, wa, and land the plane there. I told him that the area up there has a history of high congestion of aircraft and flying in that area with no communication would have greatly put the safety of other aircraft, not to mention myself, in jeopardy. I do understand that it is possible to fly with no electricity, due to the fact that the magnetos are an alternate source of power, but flying around a potentially congested area with no communication is a very unsafe thing to do. Therefore, I landed the plane in order to accomplish the #1 goal -- safety. As you can see from my total hours, I am a fairly new pilot and therefore must be honest in evaluating my skills. Yes, I could have ventured farther north and landed at another airport, but I simply felt that with no communication and the history of this aircraft over the past 48 hours that the safest thing to do was to get it on the ground.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN SMA PVT PLT LOSES HIS ALTERNATOR, BATTERY PWR, RADIO AND XPONDER. HE FLIES ON FOR ABOUT 90 MI, BEING LOST TO FLT FOLLOWING AT ZSE. HE SEES AN AIRFIELD AND LANDS WITHOUT CLRNC AT GRAY AAF, FORT LEWIS, WA.

Narrative: ON SEP/XA/98 AT APPROX XA00, MYSELF AND A PAX DEPARTED BOEING FIELD IN SEATTLE, WA, FOR HILLSBORO, OR. WE ARRIVED IN HILLSBORO TO MEET A FRIEND AND TAKE A QUICK FLT AROUND THE HILLSBORO AREA. WE WERE IN THE AIR FOR ROUGHLY 25 MINS AND THEN RETURNED TO THE HILLSBORO ARPT TO DROP OFF MY FRIEND. WE WERE ON THE GND FOR ABOUT 8 MINS. WE SAID GOOD-BYE AND ME AND MY ORIGINAL PAX GOT BACK IN THE PLANE TO RETURN TO BOEING FIELD. WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO START THE ENG, THE PROP HAD A REALLY TOUGH TIME TURNING OVER. I TRIED IT AGAIN AND THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO PWR. I FOUND THIS TO BE QUITE ODD DUE TO THE FACT THAT I HAD OBEYED MY CHKLIST FOR PROPER SHUTDOWN AND I DID NOT LEAVE THE MASTER SWITCH ON. QUICKLY, I GOT A LINE PERSON AND HAD HIM CHK THINGS OVER. HE ATTEMPTED TO GIVE THE PLANE A JUMP. HE PUT THE CABLES TO THE BATTERY AND LET IT CHARGE UP. AFTER 15 MINS I TRIED AGAIN TO START THE PLANE BUT IT WOULD NOT START. AS IT TURNED OUT I HAD TO SPEND THE NIGHT IN HILLSBORO IN HOPE OF GETTING A CERTIFIED MECH TO LOOK AT THE PLANE THE NEXT DAY. ON SEP/XB/98 I GOT A MECH AND HE INSPECTED THE PLANE. HE TESTED THE BATTERY AND SAID THE PWR WAS FAR BELOW NORMAL. HE THEN TRIED TO PUT MORE PWR BACK INTO THE BATTERY AND WAS SUCCESSFUL. HE THEN SIGNED OFF THE DISCREPANCY IN THE FLT LOGS. I DEPARTED HILLSBORO FOR BOEING FIELD IN SEATTLE. IN ADDITION TO FILING A FLT PLAN, I REQUESTED FLT FOLLOWING FOR ADDED SAFETY. ABOUT 15 NM NW OF KELSO, WA, THE PERSON AT FLT FOLLOWING TOLD ME THAT I WAS DISAPPEARING FROM HIS RADAR. AT ABOUT THIS SAME TIME I NOTICED THE VOLTAGE LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED AND THE AMPS INDICATED A DEFLECTION. FOLLOWING PROC, I WENT THROUGH MY CHKLIST IN HOPE OF ALLEVIATING THE PROB. I STARTED TO STEER THE PLANE MORE WESTERLY AWAY FROM V495 DUE TO THE FACT THERE WERE MORE AVAILABLE AIRSTRIPS IN THAT DIRECTION. SOON, MY COM WITH MY PAX FAILED AND WE RESORTED TO SIMPLY YELLING SO WE COULD HEAR ONE ANOTHER. IN THE DISTANCE, I SAW GRAY AAF AND IN THE NAME OF SAFETY DECIDED THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION WAS TO LAND THE PLANE AS SOON AS I COULD. I REALIZED THAT I WOULD ENCROACH UPON RESTR AIRSPACE, BUT I CONSIDERED THE SIT AN EMER AND KNEW THAT AN EMER SIT WOULD HAVE PRECEDENCE OVER ME FLYING INTO A RESTR AIRSPACE. I WAGGLED MY WINGS TO LET THE TWR KNOW I HAD A PROB AND GUIDED THE PLANE DOWN TO SAFETY. I UNDERSTAND THAT I COULD HAVE CHOSEN ANOTHER AIRSTRIP TO LAND AT, HOWEVER, I SAW THAT THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO OTHER TFC IN MY VICINITY AND DECIDED THAT SINCE MY COM WAS GONE THAT IT WOULD BE SAFEST TO SIMPLY GET THE PLANE ON THE GND. ONCE ON THE GND, I CONTACTED FBO AT BOEING FIELD FROM WHICH I RENTED THE PLANE. I TOLD AN INSTRUCTOR THERE WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND TO MY ASTONISHMENT HE QUESTIONED AS TO WHY I JUST DID NOT CONTINUE N UP TO AUBURN, WA, AND LAND THE PLANE THERE. I TOLD HIM THAT THE AREA UP THERE HAS A HISTORY OF HIGH CONGESTION OF ACFT AND FLYING IN THAT AREA WITH NO COM WOULD HAVE GREATLY PUT THE SAFETY OF OTHER ACFT, NOT TO MENTION MYSELF, IN JEOPARDY. I DO UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO FLY WITH NO ELECTRICITY, DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE MAGNETOS ARE AN ALTERNATE SOURCE OF PWR, BUT FLYING AROUND A POTENTIALLY CONGESTED AREA WITH NO COM IS A VERY UNSAFE THING TO DO. THEREFORE, I LANDED THE PLANE IN ORDER TO ACCOMPLISH THE #1 GOAL -- SAFETY. AS YOU CAN SEE FROM MY TOTAL HRS, I AM A FAIRLY NEW PLT AND THEREFORE MUST BE HONEST IN EVALUATING MY SKILLS. YES, I COULD HAVE VENTURED FARTHER N AND LANDED AT ANOTHER ARPT, BUT I SIMPLY FELT THAT WITH NO COM AND THE HISTORY OF THIS ACFT OVER THE PAST 48 HRS THAT THE SAFEST THING TO DO WAS TO GET IT ON THE GND.

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.