Golden Eagle 421
Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 12; Flight Crew Total 986; Flight Crew Type 264
Communication Breakdown; Distraction; Troubleshooting; Situational Awareness
ATC Issue All Types; Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Conflict Airborne Conflict; Inflight Event / Encounter Other / Unknown
Flight Crew Landed in Emergency Condition; Flight Crew Returned To Departure Airport; General Declared Emergency
Equipment / Tooling; Human Factors; Aircraft
March 2013.  Confirmed points of failure.  Flight plan from ZZZ to ZZZ1 was filed at XA:40am with deserting (departing) time slated to XB:30am local time. Full preflight was performed. One quart of oil-100 was added to the left engine only.  All fuel was tested; all tanks were filled to the top and verified visually.  Upon requesting clearance; I was directed to the Custom and Immigration building (blue building) for a random Ramp and Security Check. The process took 15-minutes and we were cleared for departure exactly at XB:28 local. We proceeded to 'D' to 'E' ; held short on 13; and continued on 'E' to the holding bay of 08. Changed frequency to  the Tower for uneventful takeoff with a left hand turn to northwest direction. Thereafter requested Flight Following which took me on to the Everglades and 20-miles from my route. On request the second time for direct GPS and higher altitude; I was given a clearance for direct to ZZZ1. Two minutes after that; all started to default. All Nav screens: 530 and 430 Sandel; DME; On/Off Transponder; Avidyne select buttons were flashing constantly. All verification lights; [landing] gear; AC [electrical]; flaps; electric trimmer tab; [landing] gear; cowl flaps. Autopilot was behaving erratic for 45 seconds and the systems were announcing 'Invalid Information' data. Autopilot remains engaged in some form and I had major problems to force the override of the Autopilot. Vacuumed gauges and engine equipment seemed working; no Fuel Quantity Gauge was working. I did not have the time to inspect all of the gauges unless I needed them for this portion of the flight.  Switched the alternator to stand-by; no effect.  Shutdown AC [electrical] switches; pitot heat; fuses of strike finder; 530/430 displays; all lights; nav; collision etc.; not really knowing if they [were] 'on' or not. Interior light seemed to be out; trying a single light under the control wheel; only the pilot headset was in communication; (for some strange reasons it reset itself 'In' and 'Out').  Passenger on the co-pilot side did not have any communication capabilities at all. One radio kept [going] 'In' /'Out' every time I shut and disengaged the electronic main switch. Only the last frequency was active to the end;  [and the Controller] gave me return coordinates to ZZZ; estimated time was 21-minutes. On false guides by a Controller with a terrible accent and constantly repeating my communication wrongly; I over shot the area; and a new Controller gave me corrected guides to the area. A request from me to execute a low pass to verify the gear out (manually extended) was approved by Tower Controller; though on the same time; along Runway.  The local Controller allowed a slow moving Cessna to takeoff as I was approaching the field; causing me to divert right (south) to avoid conflict.  Very; very disturbing and stupid!!!!! Upon verification of gear extended; thus not necessarily locked; I executed a left hand circuit for a high speed landing with no flaps. There was no conflict or any notable event in the landing or taxi process. The [landing] gear held and no Emergency Services were required. A fire truck was following with other response vehicles to the parking zone. Notes for future pilots:Upon starting to crank open [extend] the [landing] gear by hand; move the seat far enough to allow sufficient space for the hand to control the handle and to allow it to spin at high speed for a safer and better locking speed. A slow speed extraction [extension] did not achieve the results; it [landing gear] did not crank to the end and had the wrong feel to it. I managed to pull the gear almost back up and increased the speed to 170.  At that time I just released the handle and it spun fast; to the full extend of the range with no additional cranking possible (good results).
Pilot reports having experienced the following shortly after take-off in a C-421 Cessna: an onboard AC Electrical failure; loss of all system verification lights; Landing Gear; Flaps; Electric Trimmer tab; Nav screens 530 and 430 Sandel displays; DME; Transponder; Avidyne Select buttons flashing constantly and major problems forcing an override of an erratic Autopilot System.