'lo!

OK - this is a bit of an odd one, since by rights I should know the answer cold but it might be aircraft-specific.

I was listening to the radio while working; they were interviewing some dude who was apparently a bush pilot who retired back in the '90's and was relating a few stories, likely to promote a book - I wasn't paying too much attention. I heard something and perked up, but by then it was a bit too late to get full info.

Anyhoo; the dude was relating a story where he was flying in northern Alaska, lost his deicing system and damn near died putting the ship down on an old unused mining strip. Nothing unusual there - ice is a bloody killer. What perked my interest was why he said he lost the deicing - he lost it, he says, because the aircraft experienced a total electrical failure.

That strikes me as quite odd.

I'm not 100% positive, but I'm sure he said the type of plane was a Shrike Commander - a light twin transport popular up north and hence my confusion. The Commander, like any twin, will have dual redundant electrical systems - while losing one system is possible (although bloody unlikely), the system on the other side will carry the load easily.

So I suppose my question is this: What conditions would have to be met - while flying at medium altitude under heavy icing conditions - for a twin to lose all electrical power? At the moment, I'm assuming a major maintenance issue; not entirely uncommon amongst private bush operators.

By extension; the other question is how did he get the gear down? The Commander has a hydraulic LG system, but it's still operated electrically. Can a man arm-wrestle an ice-coated brick while pumping like mad to drop gear? I'd like to hear your opinions.



Cheers!

Seems to me, in my 'way back when' multiengine rating days, I flew an Apache with only one generator - on the left.  My instructor told me, "we don't even simulate losing that one"  .

After living and flying in Alaska for thirty odd years, I've heard some really tall stories about inflight emergencies and how they were handled.  These stories all improve with the telling but there are some incidents where the pilot has to be resourceful beyond what's in the handbook.  In the northern tier - including Canada - the flying style is a little less orthodox than that in the south forty eight.  In an emergency, improvisation is the name of the game and if a roll of 'hundred mile an hour tape' and/or some baling wire will get you home - way better than the alternative.