In-flight electrical failure

troopernflight

troopernflight

Well-Known Member
I was running some in-flight emergencies through my mind and there is one that I just can't feel confident to handle regardless of how much reading I've done on the subject. In-flight electrical failure. VFR, no big deal. But IFR with wide spread IMC, low ceilings, this is potentially a nightmare. I know it's always a good idea to carry a transceiver and portable GPS with plenty of extra batteries. But the fact is, you would have no contact with ATC, no transponder, no means of navigation, etc. Without a portable transceiver or GPS, are you pretty much toast if you don't know where VMC is? Any tips on preparing for this, and mitigating the potentials hazards associated with it?
 
The best way to prepare for this is mentally and if you have a SIM available to you ask for it in the SIM. You need to know your checklists and emergency procedures well. I have run this several times in the SIM and it is a time consuming nightmare all the way down to the standby power ILS approach on the peanut gauges.

Find out what have been some of the common causes of smoke in the cockpit in the past and file those away in your memory bank. e.g. the 727 is known to burn out gasper fans, so a lot of us will turn those off in cruise.
 
If you don't have a transceiver, then your only really good option is to be able to have enough gas to reach VFR conditions then zig-zag around trying to find an airport.

I had an electrical failure in a Saratoga in low IMC over unfamiliar mountainous territory. Made mistakes, rolled the dice and walked away. It is good to roll this situation over in your head if you will be flying singles IMC, because I hadn't and was shooting from the hip and almost CFIT.
 
I am going to through this out there as I was taught to my by a few instructors and I gave it to my students and fuel for thought when playing the what if game while chair flying.


You are in a PA-28 flying from KHAI to KBEH. When about 20nm from KBEH at 4000 MSL you lose everthing but your pitot static instruments. The weather at KBEH 271553Z AUTO 00000KT 1 1/2SM BR 08/07 A2978 RMK AO2 SLP198 T00830067. You do not have sufficient fuel to fly to VFR conditions. What do you do after you troubleshoot the aircraft and get nothing back?
 
Bandit_Driver said:
I am going to through this out there as I was taught to my by a few instructors and I gave it to my students and fuel for thought when playing the what if game while chair flying.


You are in a PA-28 flying from KHAI to KBEH. When about 20nm from KBEH at 4000 MSL you lose everthing but your pitot static instruments. The weather at KBEH 271553Z AUTO 00000KT 1 1/2SM BR 08/07 A2978 RMK AO2 SLP198 T00830067. You do not have sufficient fuel to fly to VFR conditions. What do you do after you troubleshoot the aircraft and get nothing back?
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??, if you had a transceiver, maybe an ASR approach, but doubtful with those conditions. With no electrical, I'm stumped.
 
If your in a light GA plane (no backup equipment) you sure better know where the nearest VMC is, and if you can't easily reach it with your compass and a clock you shouldn't be there!
 
My plans for electrical failure without a transceiver would include using my cell phone to contact atc. I am sure I could just call FSS and they could either patch me through, or give me a number for center.
 
W/o radios and the ability to shoot any approach? I would use a compass heading that puts me towards the airport (assuming I know where I am now). After 25-28nm, descend to 500 and pray I'm over water, then make a 180 and head for land. Avoid obstacles if I see them, if I can't find the airport, land on the beach. But my IFR is out of currency and so is my theoretical knowledge.
 
Max range and point the nose in the direction where it is VMC or at least ceilings above local terrain. This is where good preflight planning comes in. You should have an idea of where plan B (or C) is before you ever go wheels up. If you knew where you were when you lost electrical power, then use good old fashioned DR to get to somewhere reasonably safe to let down. Easier in the midwest/east where it is flatter, significantly more dangerous here out west terrain wise. Regardless, there is not necissarily a correct answer for every situation.
 
///AMG said:
Max range and point the nose in the direction where it is VMC or at least ceilings above local terrain. This is where good preflight planning comes in. You should have an idea of where plan B (or C) is before you ever go wheels up. If you knew where you were when you lost electrical power, then use good old fashioned DR to get to somewhere reasonably safe to let down. Easier in the midwest/east where it is flatter, significantly more dangerous here out west terrain wise. Regardless, there is not necissarily a correct answer for every situation.
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Sometimes that just doesn't work in hill country. If you're launching with a full load of freight in a machine with one motor on a mins day at both airports, and at alternate mins at your alternate, you don't really have that much in the way of options if you lose "everything." I need to get my handheld down here, that's your only real backup if you lose everything.
 
ppragman said:
Sometimes that just doesn't work in hill country. If you're launching with a full load of freight in a machine with one motor on a mins day at both airports, and at alternate mins at your alternate, you don't really have that much in the way of options if you lose "everything." I need to get my handheld down here, that's your only real backup if you lose everything.
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:yeahthat:
Maybe, just maybe you could shoot yourself a crappy ILS APP. IT might not be the most accurate, but it should get you near the ground... I may need to invest.
 
Codyjp said:
If your in a light GA plane (no backup equipment) you sure better know where the nearest VMC is, and if you can't easily reach it with your compass and a clock you shouldn't be there!
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That really is the only answer here. Aircraft loading and performance should have already been involved in your planning of Plan B. If your choices are so narrow that if any thing should fail you're just flying to the accident scene, maybe it's best to stay on the ground. Or get another pilot who can.

I've had two total electrical failures, the first in night VMC, the 2nd was day IFR ready to transition to arrival. A clock and compass will get you home. Both failures were in mountainous terrain. Both were Oh crap! moments but don't let panic ruin your day. Don't ever get behind on SA.
 
Ayork62493 said:
:yeahthat:
Maybe, just maybe you could shoot yourself a crappy ILS APP. IT might not be the most accurate, but it should get you near the ground... I may need to invest.
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My old ICOM handheld had a pretty accurate CDI. A friend showed me his Garmin EcoTour was pretty accurate too. I think he loaded a VOR app onto it.
 
N18040 said:
My plans for electrical failure without a transceiver would include using my cell phone to contact atc. I am sure I could just call FSS and they could either patch me through, or give me a number for center.
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You think they could and they probably can if they thought outside their routine but when we landed the cops met us and told us what airport we landed at. I called FSS trying to get a number for the tower controllers, but they didn't know and then was transfered three times until I was talking to some FAA person in D.C., nobody could help us get a dang number. I was speaking English too, proficiently.

But in my local area, I do have all the ATC facility numbers in my phone.
 
RICHARD5 said:
My old ICOM handheld had a pretty accurate CDI. A friend showed me his Garmin EcoTour was pretty accurate too. I think he loaded a VOR app onto it.
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If it gets ya back home then it's definetly worth the money... Not so imporant for VMC pilot's but if you're getting into hard IMC I can see it paying off...
 
Ayork62493 said:
If it gets ya back home then it's definetly worth the money... Not so imporant for VMC pilot's but if you're getting into hard IMC I can see it paying off...
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I flew a NORDO arrival into Deer Valley once on a VFR delivery. I arranged that by cell phone before departure. When leaving DVT the following week I flew NORDO all the way to VIS. I used my ICOM to navigate, including SUA. It was as accurate as any panel installed CDI. With the ICOM I could receive but not transmit even with an external antenna. SO I just monitored to aid SA. That was never a problem on any other flight in another aircraft. The reason going to VIS was to upgrade all nav instruments which were unreliable or OTS.

In case anyone is wondering, DVT takeoff clearance was arranged by cell phone and handled similar to a IFR departure at a Class G aprt. (void if not off by...)
 
Ayork62493 said:
If it gets ya back home then it's definetly worth the money... Not so imporant for VMC pilot's but if you're getting into hard IMC I can see it paying off...
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Truthfully, I would exit hard IFR ASAP if all I had was a handheld. I have a problem with batteries, even lithiums. Maybe that's just me and my luck.
 
RICHARD5 said:
My old ICOM handheld had a pretty accurate CDI. A friend showed me his Garmin EcoTour was pretty accurate too. I think he loaded a VOR app onto it.
Click to expand...

Garmin 296 is the best bang for the buck. That said, I've been playing with my cellphone's GPS, and I think that it'd work in a pinch to get me down if things got sketchy.
 
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