ronlee(at)pcisys.net
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 Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2007 7:34 am Post subject: Charging system failure cuts short a long x-country trip |
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I first flew to Memphis to enter the Memphis 100 race. I did it.
Then on to Atlanta to visit family. The next day I flew to Kitty Hawk.
That was uneventful other than flying over water and turbulence on
approach and departure from the 15 knots gusting 25. An aerial view is here:
http://home.pcisys.net/~ronlee/RV6A/KittyHawk/KittyHawkAirSmall.jpg
This is my aircraft with the memorial in the background:
http://home.pcisys.net/~ronlee/RV6A/KittyHawk/KittyHawkGroundSmall.jpg
I thought they took off from the hill but no. It was flat terrain north of the hill.
The starting point is here:
http://home.pcisys.net/~ronlee/RV6A/KittyHawk/FirstStartSmall.jpg
And the end of the first flight here:
http://home.pcisys.net/~ronlee/RV6A/KittyHawk/FirstEndSmall.jpg
I refueled at an airport west of Kitty Hawk and planned on getting back
to Atlanta right around sunset. Unfortunately, around Rayleigh the voltage
went to just over 12 and the amperage went negative. I had been hearing
a static like popping since leaving Kitty Hawk and someone suggested that
it was arcing from the failure.
I told approach that I was getting lower than the approaching cloud deck
and decided to make a precautionary landing at Sanford NC (KTTA). No
mechanics were around so I got a rental car and went into town for the night.
The next morning I replaced the voltage regulator with no success so I
removed the lower cowl and found that the battery ring terminal wire on
the alternator B point was fatigued and broken. It was previously bent to
make proper contact.
I had a mechanic install a new ring terminal but that did not make the
alternator work. Using advice from a primo mechanic at home (and not
being able to find a replacement alternator), I bought a battery for my Blazer,
wire, ring terminals and added the new battery in parallel with my aircraft battery.
Nothing blew up so I prepared to leave. The engine started normally and
to my surprise the alternator worked. It worked all the way home with
four restarts.
On this trip I flew below an overcast with less than 6000’ between me and
the ground (perhaps 1500’). I flew over a broken cloud layer. I flew in less
than 100 nm visibility.
As I approached Springfield MO towards sunset, I descended thinking that I
was about to overfly a cloud layer. Nope. It was haze. Silly me. It made
more sense to stay where I could see ground to the sides anyway.
I had planned on going to Key West and the Bahamas but elected to get home
to fix the alternator problem. TS Noel would have kept me from doing that anyway.
In retrospect, the alternator to bus wire/ring terminal should have been made
better long ago. That will be corrected. I am now in the process of trying to decide
which readily available alternator I will install. The current one will not fly again.
I also did not know what my safe flying time was when the ring terminal broke.
Perhaps I could have flown another two hours (4-5 amp current draw and one EI)
on a PC925 battery. But since I did not know for sure, I played it safe and landed
at the nearest airport.
With the truck battery, it may well be 20 hours. Regardless, I did buy a battery
charger just in case.
I did find out that the RV community is awesome. Three guys stopped by to offer
assistance (I did the repairs on the ramp). The FBO at Sanford was great as was
the mechanic shop.
Stopping at new airports is fun. I expanded my flight experience beyond CAVU
but nowhere near scud running. The haze illusions were baffling but I just reacted
with safe flight adjustments.
[quote][b]
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