Accident Sequence
The aircraft, registered as N7494J, took off from a high-altitude airport and climbed in the vicinity of the airport to 9,500 feet before proceeding on course. While approaching high terrain, the pilot realized that the aircraft did not have sufficient altitude to clear the terrain and was situated in a valley too narrow to turn around.
The pilot was holding the override switch to deactivate the automatic landing gear extension system. When the aircraft encountered turbulence, the pilot's hand came off the override, allowing the landing gear to extend. The extension of the landing gear resulted in a loss of airspeed.
Forced Landing
At that point, the pilot determined that an off-airport forced landing was necessary and selected a mountain meadow as a landing site. During the landing in rough terrain, the landing gear collapsed.
The aircraft sustained damage to the landing gear. No further details regarding injuries or additional damage were provided.