Incident Overview
A pilot flying en route encountered turbulence and climbed to 10,500 feet. While crossing the Sierra Nevada Mountains, he observed an overcast layer over the San Joaquin Valley. Lacking an instrument rating, he decided to divert back across the mountains to the airport where the accident ultimately occurred.
Descent and Landing Gear Issue
During descent, the pilot experienced very heavy turbulence. While on the downwind leg, he selected the landing gear down, but the gear failed to extend. The position lights provided neither an up nor down indication. He noticed that the landing gear circuit breaker had popped out; attempting to reset it resulted in the breaker immediately popping back out. He then activated the emergency gear extension system. In his report, the pilot stated, "I pulled on the handle and felt it was locked."
Landing and Collapse
On approach, the pilot encountered strong crosswinds and turbulence. Just after touchdown, the landing gear collapsed. The airplane skidded approximately 200 feet along the runway.
Investigation
The reason for the failure of the landing gear system to extend normally was not determined.