When The Juice Drys Up

On the first occasion, I was on an IFR flight plan departing into an 800-foot ceiling on my way to a destination reporting clear skies. At some point, I would clear the fog layer covering the inversion and find those clear skies, I just didnt know exactly where the layer would burn off. On departure I passed through the 500-foot-thick layer and was soon in VMC on top. Tops were at roughly 6500 feet and I was cruising along at 8500 with nothing but blue skies above me and a flat layer of white tops 2000 feet below.

Mike Hart

Thursday, September 15, 2016 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Pilots must be prepared for unpredictable airborne electrical failures by understanding their aircraft's system, knowing how to aggressively shed non-essential loads, and identifying circuit breakers to conserve battery power for critical systems.
Strategic decision-making during an electrical failure is crucial, factoring in current and forecast weather (avoiding IMC if VFR is available), the availability of airport services for troubleshooting, and the remaining battery life.
In-flight management includes continuous monitoring of battery voltage, planning for communication limitations (e.g., using a handheld radio or anticipating loss of radio/transponder), and having backup power for portable navigation devices.

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Sometimes the real world is unforgiving, especially when it comes to airborne system failures. None of us want to have these kinds of firsthand, real-world learning experiences, but it is helpful to read about them and try to learn something. When it comes to airborne electrical issues, I believe I may be the “chosen one” when it comes to experiencing issues and failures from which we all can learn.

Call it luck or fate, but I’ve have had three airborne electrical component failures in two different airplanes, each of which left me with nothing but battery power. One of these three events involved an overcharging situation. No sheet metal was bent, thankfully, and all such events ended as I wanted. Here is what I have learned.