Narrative:

At XA55, was on arrival to clt airport at 11000 ft MSL, chesterfield arrival, booze intersection. I was PF with aircraft on autoplt. I heard what sounded like a circuit breaker pop and instantly the captain's navigation and flight instruments all showed failure flags, both FMS's went blank and off, master caution illuminated and numerous annunciators came on, on the overhead panel. I briefly noticed the yaw damper 'fail' light, left generator bus and main bus 'off' lights, but xfer 'fail' light, loss of cabin pressurization light, and a myriad of others. Autoplt disconnected along with the autothrottles. I immediately took over and hand flew using VOR raw data on the arrival. Upon evaluation (a quick one) only my (first officer) flight instruments worked and HSI. I did xchk my ADI with standby ADI and all appeared normal. I immediately started the APU, switched the pressurization controller to standby to stop the cabin from climbing. When the APU came on line, we could not xfer it to any bus. The captain also notified ATC that we had a very serious situation and requested priority handling to the airport (clt) and to have the equipment standing by. The captain handled communications with the flight attendants and with tower. I was given the longest runway at clt (runway 18R) and no speed restr. Upon landing, the flight spoilers (which should have been armed based on landing checklist items) did not deploy. Brakes worked normally, deployed thrust reversers and only noticed the right thrust reverser sheve light come on with increase in N1 (only 1 thrust reverser). The #1 flight attendant rushed into the cockpit announcing we have a report of smoke/or smell of smoke in the cabin. The captain asked me to immediately perform the cabin evacuate/evacuation announcement and QRH checklist. We shut down on the taxiway with aircraft ahead and behind and the flight attendant deployed the slides and evacuate/evacuationed the passenger. My rope on the first officer's overhead would not deploy fully, so I egressed out 1L door. We also had a jump seater who assisted with the evacuate/evacuation and helped tremendously. We had 56 passenger, 1 lap, and a jump seat. Only 3 very minor injuries -- all went home fine. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated a 3 phase #1 bus circuit breaker tripped and had complete left bus electrical failure. The reporter said the xfer bus was also unpwred with no 'off' light. The reporter said from the number of system failed it also appeared the standby dc and AC busses were unpwred. The reporter stated maintenance has not advised of the component failure or fix. Callback conversation with reporter acn 515542 revealed the following information: the reporter stated the cause of the loss of the left main bus, xfer bus and standby dc and AC power is unknown. The reporter said maintenance has released no data to the crew on the maintenance action taken.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-400 ON DSCNT AT 11000 FT DECLARED AN EMER DUE TO LOSS OF L MAIN ELECTRICAL BUS, L XFER BUS, AND STANDBY AC AND DC. CAUSE UNKNOWN.

Narrative: AT XA55, WAS ON ARR TO CLT ARPT AT 11000 FT MSL, CHESTERFIELD ARR, BOOZE INTXN. I WAS PF WITH ACFT ON AUTOPLT. I HEARD WHAT SOUNDED LIKE A CIRCUIT BREAKER POP AND INSTANTLY THE CAPT'S NAV AND FLT INSTS ALL SHOWED FAILURE FLAGS, BOTH FMS'S WENT BLANK AND OFF, MASTER CAUTION ILLUMINATED AND NUMEROUS ANNUNCIATORS CAME ON, ON THE OVERHEAD PANEL. I BRIEFLY NOTICED THE YAW DAMPER 'FAIL' LIGHT, L GENERATOR BUS AND MAIN BUS 'OFF' LIGHTS, BUT XFER 'FAIL' LIGHT, LOSS OF CABIN PRESSURIZATION LIGHT, AND A MYRIAD OF OTHERS. AUTOPLT DISCONNECTED ALONG WITH THE AUTOTHROTTLES. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK OVER AND HAND FLEW USING VOR RAW DATA ON THE ARR. UPON EVALUATION (A QUICK ONE) ONLY MY (FO) FLT INSTS WORKED AND HSI. I DID XCHK MY ADI WITH STANDBY ADI AND ALL APPEARED NORMAL. I IMMEDIATELY STARTED THE APU, SWITCHED THE PRESSURIZATION CONTROLLER TO STANDBY TO STOP THE CABIN FROM CLBING. WHEN THE APU CAME ON LINE, WE COULD NOT XFER IT TO ANY BUS. THE CAPT ALSO NOTIFIED ATC THAT WE HAD A VERY SERIOUS SIT AND REQUESTED PRIORITY HANDLING TO THE ARPT (CLT) AND TO HAVE THE EQUIP STANDING BY. THE CAPT HANDLED COMS WITH THE FLT ATTENDANTS AND WITH TWR. I WAS GIVEN THE LONGEST RWY AT CLT (RWY 18R) AND NO SPD RESTR. UPON LNDG, THE FLT SPOILERS (WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN ARMED BASED ON LNDG CHKLIST ITEMS) DID NOT DEPLOY. BRAKES WORKED NORMALLY, DEPLOYED THRUST REVERSERS AND ONLY NOTICED THE R THRUST REVERSER SHEVE LIGHT COME ON WITH INCREASE IN N1 (ONLY 1 THRUST REVERSER). THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT RUSHED INTO THE COCKPIT ANNOUNCING WE HAVE A RPT OF SMOKE/OR SMELL OF SMOKE IN THE CABIN. THE CAPT ASKED ME TO IMMEDIATELY PERFORM THE CABIN EVAC ANNOUNCEMENT AND QRH CHKLIST. WE SHUT DOWN ON THE TXWY WITH ACFT AHEAD AND BEHIND AND THE FLT ATTENDANT DEPLOYED THE SLIDES AND EVACED THE PAX. MY ROPE ON THE FO'S OVERHEAD WOULD NOT DEPLOY FULLY, SO I EGRESSED OUT 1L DOOR. WE ALSO HAD A JUMP SEATER WHO ASSISTED WITH THE EVAC AND HELPED TREMENDOUSLY. WE HAD 56 PAX, 1 LAP, AND A JUMP SEAT. ONLY 3 VERY MINOR INJURIES -- ALL WENT HOME FINE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED A 3 PHASE #1 BUS CIRCUIT BREAKER TRIPPED AND HAD COMPLETE L BUS ELECTRICAL FAILURE. THE RPTR SAID THE XFER BUS WAS ALSO UNPWRED WITH NO 'OFF' LIGHT. THE RPTR SAID FROM THE NUMBER OF SYS FAILED IT ALSO APPEARED THE STANDBY DC AND AC BUSSES WERE UNPWRED. THE RPTR STATED MAINT HAS NOT ADVISED OF THE COMPONENT FAILURE OR FIX. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR ACN 515542 REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE CAUSE OF THE LOSS OF THE L MAIN BUS, XFER BUS AND STANDBY DC AND AC PWR IS UNKNOWN. THE RPTR SAID MAINT HAS RELEASED NO DATA TO THE CREW ON THE MAINT ACTION TAKEN.

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.