SR22
Flight Crew Private
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 5; Flight Crew Total 190; Flight Crew Type 102
Communication Breakdown; Human-Machine Interface; Workload; Time Pressure; Situational Awareness
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Ground Excursion Runway
Flight Crew Landed in Emergency Condition; Flight Crew Returned To Departure Airport; General Declared Emergency; General Maintenance Action
Airport; Aircraft; Environment - Non Weather Related; Human Factors
During a VFR flight; with VFR Flight Following I began experiencing indications of electrical problems; first noted as a result of the loss of the Multi Function Display (MFD) in my Cirrus SR22. The circuit breaker was noted to be in the open state and attempts to re-set the breaker and reactivate the MFD failed. I had departed midmorning for a planned 70 minute VFR flight. The loss of electrical power began to occur approximately 55 minutes into the flight. As I flew east and communicated with Approach; I lost power to all instruments on the primary bus and my 'Alt 1' annunciator light illuminated on the pilot side of the instrument panel. In a radio call to Approach; I verified that a transponder signal was being received by ATC but altitude information was no longer being transmitted. As I began the descent into my destination; I made an additional call to Approach to provide altitude updates. In the final phases of flight (last 10 minutes); only items supplied by the critical systems bus were receiving electrical power. The primary flight display (PFD); altimeter; air speed indicator; HSI; one Garmin 430 GPS/radio; and auto pilot were operational. While in the traffic pattern; I lost all internal intercom communication and radio communication with the FBO became intermittent and I was unable to determine if radio communication was being received by others. With the loss of electrical power; I could not deploy my flaps and successfully executed a no-flap landing. I was able to bring the aircraft under control sufficiently to stop at the end of the construction shortened runway. In an effort to clear the runway; I came to a stop at the end of the runway where temporary surface markers were placed across the runway; prohibiting taxiing to Taxiway A. In an effort to remove my plane from the runway; I crossed the temporary runway red/orange and white surface plastic curb-like markers and pulled on to the ramp leading to Taxiway A. Trucks and construction materials prevented my continuation on to Taxiway A. At that point; with the plane no longer operable; airport staff responded to my aircraft. With no knowledge about the incoming or departing traffic; the decision to cross the end of the runway in the area of closed ramp to Taxiway A seemed like a good decision at the time. In retrospect; I should have attempted to back taxi to Taxiway D if I would have been able to keep the plane's engine running. A contributing factor was my inability to communicate effectively with airport personnel until approached by an airport service vehicle equipped with a VHF radio. I could hear radio communication from that vehicle when it was within 100 FT of my airplane. I was anxious to get the airplane off of the active runway and with no ability to communicate with other aircraft or airport personnel; I made the best decision I could with the information available. After obtaining assistance from airport staff; the airplane was towed back on to the runway and back to Taxiway D and to the ramp outside the maintenance hanger. The aircraft awaits a maintenance evaluation to determine the cause of the electrical failure. The aircraft was recently serviced and instruments re-IFR-certified at the airport's maintenance facility. This was my first flight after service and it may have been a better decision to fly around my home airport prior to attempting a flight out of the area through more complex airspace.
An SR22 experienced a severe electrical system malfunction which caused the loss of all communications; but the pilot was able to declare an emergency inbound.