Baron 58/58TC
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Distraction; Situational Awareness; Troubleshooting
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor
General Maintenance Action
Aircraft
About 30 minutes into the flight; I noticed a strong; burning odor coming from the nose of the aircraft that smelled electrical in nature. I looked for any secondary indication of an actual problem. Both of the load meters were reading correctly and there was no indication of smoke in the cockpit. I continued to my scheduled destination since I was about 20 minutes out with several airports available for diverting if needed.Once shutdown on the ramp; I opened the nose baggage compartment and heard the acid in the battery boiling along with the overwhelming smell of sulfuric acid. I immediately informed maintenance and wrote up the aircraft. It would be nice if the Baron had an ammeter to indicate if there is an issue with the battery.
A BE-58 pilot detected electrical fumes in flight but all system indicators were normal so he continued to his filed destination where he discovered a boiling battery along with a sulfuric acid odor.