In a recent ferry flight, I encountered a sudden and very irrational electrical and avionics failure as I entered IMC conditions. I was in a Cirrus SR22 with an Avidyne MFD, an Aspen PFD and a full set of steam gauges to boot. Within about one minute of entering the clouds for a descent, instruments 288
Wax On, Wax Off
In a recent ferry flight, I encountered a sudden and very irrational electrical and avionics failure as I entered IMC conditions. I was in a Cirrus SR22 with an Avidyne MFD, an Aspen PFD and a full set of steam gauges to boot. Within about one minute of entering the clouds for a descent, instruments began to fail and then come back on. They often came back with confusing data. The twin Garmin 430s also failed and came back-and then failed again-and so it went for what seemed like hours.
Key Takeaways:
- A pilot experienced severe, intermittent electrical and avionics failures in a Cirrus SR22 while flying in IMC, initially suspected to be due to corrosion.
- The root cause was discovered to be silicone-based paste wax applied to the composite airframe, which impeded the aircraft's ability to dissipate static electricity.
- This static buildup caused instruments and avionics to fail and return with confusing data, creating a critical flight situation.
- After the wax was removed, all electrical issues were resolved, leading to the crucial lesson that silicone-based waxes should be avoided on composite aircraft as they block static discharge.
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