Small Aircraft; High Wing; 1 Eng; Retractable Gear
Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 80; Flight Crew Total 350; Flight Crew Type 55
Distraction; Confusion; Other / Unknown; Workload; Troubleshooting; Training / Qualification; Time Pressure; Situational Awareness
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Ground Event / Encounter Gear Up Landing
Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance; Aircraft Aircraft Damaged; Flight Crew Landed in Emergency Condition; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification
Aircraft
Date; I departed ZZZ at XA:05 PM. I did my pre-flight inspection. Everything checked out fine. I did my pre-taxi checklist. And got cleared to taxi to Runway XX. It was an ideal day for VFR flying. The winds were calm. The skies were clear. For the departing airport; on route and my final destination of ZZZ1. Hence; I did not file an IFR flight plan; but I did request flight following under VFR. The aircraft holds 89 gallons of usable fuel. I chose to depart with half tanks at 44 gallons; plenty of fuel for the short 105 NM trip. Upon completion of my run-up checklist and everything checking out normal. I got cleared for take-off and instructions to proceed on course. I climbed to 4;500 feet. Went through my cruise checklist and configured the aircraft to cruise settings along with the autopilot. About 40 miles from my final destination (ZZZ1); the autopilot disengaged. I was fixing to start my descent to 3;000 ft. With the auto pilot disengaged; I began to hand fly the airplane with no issues to maintain heading and altitude. Shortly after the autopilot disengaged; the transponder went out. I immediately shut off the aircraft lights (strobe/beacon). I was communicating with Center at the time; and they asked me to IDENT. I responded; 'Unable and experiencing electrical issues'. The Garmin avionics started to shut down and re-start. They flickered five or six times before the Garmin 750 shut down for good. I noticed the fuel gauges were no longer reliable as they showed a significant drop in fuel quantity. I was struggling to communicate with Center but maintained contact. They asked to change frequencies; I responded 'Unable'. They stayed with me on the current frequency; and with my location and struggling communications; I prepared to call ZZZ1 Tower from my cell phone to get clearance to land. I announced to Center that I had the field in sight for ZZZ1. They connected me to ZZZ1 Tower via the Guard frequency to get my clearance to land. I got my landing checklist and got myself set up on a right base to land XYL. ZZZ1 Tower cleared me to land. I was turning final and descending through a 1;000 ft. I pulled the gear down-nothing. The ammeter was showing a negative charge; hence the electrical issues. The alternator was clearly out and there was not enough power to operate the landing gear. I tried the gear again; with failure to extend; and took note of my position. I was very much on the final leg; descending to land. I announced to the tower that my gear was failing to extend. They confirmed it for me by sight. At that point; I did the best I could in the situation I was in; and I prepared myself for a gear up landing. The emergency checklist for a landing gear failing to extend calls for extending the emergency hand pump and pumping it for 86 cycles. I knew with my position in the pattern-pumping the landing gear 86 times was not practical. And attempting to pump the gear could possibly result in a worse outcome for the aircraft and myself with a partial gear down landing. I slowed the aircraft to approach speed on short final; glided over the runway-I turned the fuel selector valve to the 'OFF' position (per the emergency procedure for a gear up landing in the POH). I held off ground contact as long as I could to slow the aircraft and landed. The aircraft slid down the runway in a straight line and came to a stop. Tower announced I could exit the aircraft. I went through my shutdown checklist as best as I could and exited the aircraft. Contributing factors to the gear up landing: The electrical issues and failing communications distracted me before I approached the airport. I should have attempted to pump the gear before I was in the pattern and preparing to land. This was my first time experiencing an emergency procedure or any sort of failure in the aircraft. I could have opted to request to re-enter the pattern to re-assess my new challenge of a landing gear failing to extend. However; with the deteriorating systems in the aircraft and though; I knew I had enough fuel; the gauges were very much un-reliable and I knew I also didn't have fuel for days to expend. The emergency checklists provided in the POH will be referred to immediately following any issues moving forward.
Pilot reported an electrical failure while en route that affected the operation of the landing gear and made communications difficult. The pilot was in contact with ATC and a gear up landing was accomplished.