Narrative:

Departed seymour, in, in 1/88 with 3 passenger en route to springfield, il. Climbing through the clouds I crossed bmg with no apparent problem. Indy handed me off to holman (terre haute) approach. Altitude clearance limit 8000'. Approximately 20 mi northwest of bmg the low voltage light began to flicker. I reduced the electric load, leaving only the pitot heat and avionics on and checked the load meter. The load meter appeared inoperative, showing a zero reading on every setting. Doing the procedure twice I was continuing to lose electric items. First, the left engine electric gauges quit (fuel quantity and oil temperature). Within a few mins the right engine electric gauges quit. At that time, the approach controller was giving the WX at terre haute to another plane. Ceiling 1700'. At this time I was above a cloud layer in VFR conditions. I had been suspicious of my navigation equipment's reliability since shortly after I crossed bmg. It just didn't seem right. Referring to my map, I flew a heading, made a decision to des and land. I was waiting for the frequency to clear to call the controller when the radios fell off the line (quit mid sentence). I used my transponder to squawk the sequence codes and attempted to call on the radio. Realizing this was all useless, I looked around the sky, then made a wide right turn to attempt to find a hole in the layer below. When there was no hole, I turned to the same heading I had been on and began my des. During my des I continued to attempt to get the electric to respond. I chose to stay on that heading because the reported WX I received before the flight called for better WX to the west of my position. I was able to remain VFR until I reached 3000'. I went through a cloud layer and broke out at 2000' and slowed my speed. I remained below the cloud layer and on the same heading until I reached a major highway. I turned to the west and followed the highway toward a city I believed large enough to have an airport. Shortly after, I spotted a small strip. I located some smoke towers to find the wind direction. I made a pass over the airport, then headed north and slowed my speed for the approach. I attempted to get the electric back 1 more time. With no electric power, I manually extended the gear, turning the crank until it stopped. On final, just as a final attempt, I put the flap handle down, turned the boost pumps on, propeller levers forward, and advised my passenger to brack themselves and be sure their restraints were tight. I also advised them that the gear was down, but I had no indication to know if it was locked. I was on short final fully prepared to do a go around if necessary. The strip had high lines at the landing end of the runway, so I kept power on the plane until I was directly over the obstacle, then taking all of the power off the plane, I dove for the end of the runway and ground effect where I leveled off and began feeling for the ground. I felt the plane rolling on the left main, turned and told my passenger we do have a landing gear, felt for the right wheel and realized it was not going to hold. I feathered the right engine and told my passenger to brace themselves as the gear was not locked, holding the right wing off the ground as much as possible until the left main collapsed and we skidded to the right and off the runway. I got my passenger out of the plane, closed the gang bars, and there were veh's there to take us to the terminal.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GA SMT ATX LOST ELECTRICAL POWER AND ALL RADIOS. PLT ELECTED TO CONTINUE TOWARD DESTINATION THE THEN TO DESCEND THROUGH CLOUD COVER AND SEARCH FOR AN ARPT.

Narrative: DEPARTED SEYMOUR, IN, IN 1/88 WITH 3 PAX ENRTE TO SPRINGFIELD, IL. CLBING THROUGH THE CLOUDS I CROSSED BMG WITH NO APPARENT PROB. INDY HANDED ME OFF TO HOLMAN (TERRE HAUTE) APCH. ALT CLRNC LIMIT 8000'. APPROX 20 MI NW OF BMG THE LOW VOLTAGE LIGHT BEGAN TO FLICKER. I REDUCED THE ELECTRIC LOAD, LEAVING ONLY THE PITOT HEAT AND AVIONICS ON AND CHKED THE LOAD METER. THE LOAD METER APPEARED INOP, SHOWING A ZERO READING ON EVERY SETTING. DOING THE PROC TWICE I WAS CONTINUING TO LOSE ELECTRIC ITEMS. FIRST, THE LEFT ENG ELECTRIC GAUGES QUIT (FUEL QUANTITY AND OIL TEMP). WITHIN A FEW MINS THE RIGHT ENG ELECTRIC GAUGES QUIT. AT THAT TIME, THE APCH CTLR WAS GIVING THE WX AT TERRE HAUTE TO ANOTHER PLANE. CEILING 1700'. AT THIS TIME I WAS ABOVE A CLOUD LAYER IN VFR CONDITIONS. I HAD BEEN SUSPICIOUS OF MY NAV EQUIP'S RELIABILITY SINCE SHORTLY AFTER I CROSSED BMG. IT JUST DIDN'T SEEM RIGHT. REFERRING TO MY MAP, I FLEW A HDG, MADE A DECISION TO DES AND LAND. I WAS WAITING FOR THE FREQ TO CLR TO CALL THE CTLR WHEN THE RADIOS FELL OFF THE LINE (QUIT MID SENTENCE). I USED MY TRANSPONDER TO SQUAWK THE SEQUENCE CODES AND ATTEMPTED TO CALL ON THE RADIO. REALIZING THIS WAS ALL USELESS, I LOOKED AROUND THE SKY, THEN MADE A WIDE RIGHT TURN TO ATTEMPT TO FIND A HOLE IN THE LAYER BELOW. WHEN THERE WAS NO HOLE, I TURNED TO THE SAME HDG I HAD BEEN ON AND BEGAN MY DES. DURING MY DES I CONTINUED TO ATTEMPT TO GET THE ELECTRIC TO RESPOND. I CHOSE TO STAY ON THAT HDG BECAUSE THE RPTED WX I RECEIVED BEFORE THE FLT CALLED FOR BETTER WX TO THE W OF MY POS. I WAS ABLE TO REMAIN VFR UNTIL I REACHED 3000'. I WENT THROUGH A CLOUD LAYER AND BROKE OUT AT 2000' AND SLOWED MY SPD. I REMAINED BELOW THE CLOUD LAYER AND ON THE SAME HDG UNTIL I REACHED A MAJOR HWY. I TURNED TO THE W AND FOLLOWED THE HWY TOWARD A CITY I BELIEVED LARGE ENOUGH TO HAVE AN ARPT. SHORTLY AFTER, I SPOTTED A SMALL STRIP. I LOCATED SOME SMOKE TWRS TO FIND THE WIND DIRECTION. I MADE A PASS OVER THE ARPT, THEN HEADED N AND SLOWED MY SPD FOR THE APCH. I ATTEMPTED TO GET THE ELECTRIC BACK 1 MORE TIME. WITH NO ELECTRIC PWR, I MANUALLY EXTENDED THE GEAR, TURNING THE CRANK UNTIL IT STOPPED. ON FINAL, JUST AS A FINAL ATTEMPT, I PUT THE FLAP HANDLE DOWN, TURNED THE BOOST PUMPS ON, PROP LEVERS FORWARD, AND ADVISED MY PAX TO BRACK THEMSELVES AND BE SURE THEIR RESTRAINTS WERE TIGHT. I ALSO ADVISED THEM THAT THE GEAR WAS DOWN, BUT I HAD NO INDICATION TO KNOW IF IT WAS LOCKED. I WAS ON SHORT FINAL FULLY PREPARED TO DO A GO AROUND IF NECESSARY. THE STRIP HAD HIGH LINES AT THE LNDG END OF THE RWY, SO I KEPT PWR ON THE PLANE UNTIL I WAS DIRECTLY OVER THE OBSTACLE, THEN TAKING ALL OF THE PWR OFF THE PLANE, I DOVE FOR THE END OF THE RWY AND GND EFFECT WHERE I LEVELED OFF AND BEGAN FEELING FOR THE GND. I FELT THE PLANE ROLLING ON THE LEFT MAIN, TURNED AND TOLD MY PAX WE DO HAVE A LNDG GEAR, FELT FOR THE RIGHT WHEEL AND REALIZED IT WAS NOT GOING TO HOLD. I FEATHERED THE RIGHT ENG AND TOLD MY PAX TO BRACE THEMSELVES AS THE GEAR WAS NOT LOCKED, HOLDING THE RIGHT WING OFF THE GND AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE UNTIL THE LEFT MAIN COLLAPSED AND WE SKIDDED TO THE RIGHT AND OFF THE RWY. I GOT MY PAX OUT OF THE PLANE, CLOSED THE GANG BARS, AND THERE WERE VEH'S THERE TO TAKE US TO THE TERMINAL.

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.