What happened
A flight departing from Vancouver for an aerial photography mission over the Arrow Lakes area approached Revelstoke Airport at 1420LT to refuel and allow for a film change. During the base turn of the landing pattern, the pilot attempted to extend the landing gear and believed the mechanism had locked into place. However, upon turning onto final approach, the pilot observed that the nose gear was not visible and the red in-transit light was illuminated.
Attempts to cycle the gear lever did not resolve the issue. As the pilot increased power to perform an overshoot, the engines experienced surging and sputtering. Consequently, the pilot performed a gear-up landing in a grassy field located beyond the end of runway 30. Upon impact, the 8-inch high dry grass ignited, leading to a fire that consumed the aircraft. Both occupants escaped the wreckage, though the aircraft was destroyed by the flames.
Findings
- The landing gear failed to extend despite the pilot's attempts to cycle the lever.
- The aircraft experienced engine surges and sputtering during the final approach phase.
- The post-landing fire was fueled by dry, 8-inch high grass at the site of the impact.