What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Date of incident: 04/02/2020
Aircraft: Beechcraft bonanza F-33A, N8143J
On April 2, 2020 during a flight from ksuz to kork at 1500 feet altitude N8143J had a complete avionics failure occur over little rock, AR. Airspace. The pilot had just spoken to little rock approach and received a squawk code when all avionics began flashing then went completely black. The dual G-5?s that are supposed to have a five hour battery backup began powering off. The pilot made an immediate decision to return to ksuz. The pilot was unable to make radio communication with little rock approach, so the pilot reached for my cell phone that was lying in the copilots seat and called the ksuz airport manager, privacy data omitted to let him know what was happening and to please let little rock approach know. It was during this time that the pilot began to notice an electrical fume odor in the cockpit. The pilot began trying to power up the avionics and the dual G-5?s which the upper one came back on just prior to landing and then went black again. Landing gear lever was put in the down position and no circuit breakers had popped out. The pilot kept me on the phone and had me verify three times the gear lever was in the down position and to make sure the pilot went through gumps while calling little rock approach on his other cell phone. At this point the pilot began to notice a stronger electrical odor. The pilot had the airport in sight and the pilot was looking at my checklist that thier always have strapped to my right leg. While going through the checklist for final approach to the runway the electrical smell became pronounced in the cockpit as the pilot flew over the numbers to land and the gear warning horn did not sound when the pilot retarded the throttle for landing. Upon landing at ksuz the gear had not extended and after skidding to a stop the pilot immediately jumped out of the plane because of the strong electrical odor that now consumed the cockpit and the plane had approximately 69 gallons of fuel on board.
As the FAA filed it
DATE OF INCIDENT: 04/02/2020
AIRCRAFT: BEECHCRAFT BONANZA F-33A, N8143J
ON APRIL 2, 2020 DURING A FLIGHT FROM KSUZ TO KORK AT 1500 FEET ALTITUDE N8143J HAD A COMPLETE AVIONICS FAILURE OCCUR OVER LITTLE ROCK, AR. AIRSPACE. THE PILOT HAD JUST SPOKEN TO LITTLE ROCK APPROACH AND RECEIVED A SQUAWK CODE WHEN ALL AVIONICS BEGAN FLASHING THEN WENT COMPLETELY BLACK. THE DUAL G-5?S THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO HAVE A FIVE HOUR BATTERY BACKUP BEGAN POWERING OFF. THE PILOT MADE AN IMMEDIATE DECISION TO RETURN TO KSUZ. THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO MAKE RADIO COMMUNICATION WITH LITTLE ROCK APPROACH, SO THE PILOT REACHED FOR MY CELL PHONE THAT WAS LYING IN THE COPILOTS SEAT AND CALLED THE KSUZ AIRPORT MANAGER, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ TO LET HIM KNOW WHAT WAS HAPPENING AND TO PLEASE LET LITTLE ROCK APPROACH KNOW. IT WAS DURING THIS TIME THAT THE PILOT BEGAN TO NOTICE AN ELECTRICAL FUME ODOR IN THE COCKPIT. THE PILOT BEGAN TRYING TO POWER UP THE AVIONICS AND THE DUAL G-5?S WHICH THE UPPER ONE CAME BACK ON JUST PRIOR TO LANDING AND THEN WENT BLACK AGAIN. LANDING GEAR LEVER WAS PUT IN THE DOWN POSITION AND NO CIRCUIT BREAKERS HAD POPPED OUT. THE PILOT KEPT ME ON THE PHONE AND HAD ME VERIFY THREE TIMES THE GEAR LEVER WAS IN THE DOWN POSITION AND TO MAKE SURE THE PILOT WENT THROUGH GUMPS WHILE CALLING LITTLE ROCK APPROACH ON HIS OTHER CELL PHONE. AT THIS POINT THE PILOT BEGAN TO NOTICE A STRONGER ELECTRICAL ODOR. THE PILOT HAD THE AIRPORT IN SIGHT AND THE PILOT WAS LOOKING AT MY CHECKLIST THAT THIER ALWAYS HAVE STRAPPED TO MY RIGHT LEG. WHILE GOING THROUGH THE CHECKLIST FOR FINAL APPROACH TO THE RUNWAY THE ELECTRICAL SMELL BECAME PRONOUNCED IN THE COCKPIT AS THE PILOT FLEW OVER THE NUMBERS TO LAND AND THE GEAR WARNING HORN DID NOT SOUND WHEN THE PILOT RETARDED THE THROTTLE FOR LANDING. UPON LANDING AT KSUZ THE GEAR HAD NOT EXTENDED AND AFTER SKIDDING TO A STOP THE PILOT IMMEDIATELY JUMPED OUT OF THE PLANE BECAUSE OF THE STRONG ELECTRICAL ODOR THAT NOW CONSUMED THE COCKPIT AND THE PLANE HAD APPROXIMATELY 69 GALLONS OF FUEL ON BOARD.
Other reports on N8143J · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.