MISSED APCH PROC.

Narrative

I MADE THE NDB APCH TO YORK ARPT PLANNING TO CANCEL ON THE GND BY RADIO WITH THE FREQ SPECIFIED. WHEN I SAW THE ARPT; I WAS IN VFR CONDITIONS AND I HAD LOWERED THE GEAR BUT ONLY 2 GREEN LIGHTS APPEARED. I WAS TOO HIGH TO LAND SO I CIRCLED AND CAME DOWNWIND TO PATTERN ALT WITH THE ARPT IN SIGHT. I TRIED MANY TIMES TO RECYCLE THE GEAR WITHOUT SUCCESS DURING THIS EXTENDED DOWNWIND LEG. I THEN DECIDED TO CLB AND CALLED HARRISBURG APCH AND ADVISED THAT I WAS CLBING AND DOING A MISSED APCH. THEY TOLD ME TO DO THE PUBLISHED MISS AND CLB TO 3000. I CLBED TO 3000 BUT HAD GONE PAST THE HOLDING POINT FOR THE MISSED APCH WHICH IS THE INTXN OF AN NDB RADIAL AND A VOR RADIAL. I COULD NOT FLY DIRECT TO THIS INTXN USING RNAV. I SPENT SOME 2-3 MINS IN VMC CONDITIONS WITHOUT RADAR CONTACT AND FURTHER CLRNC FROM HARRISBURG APCH. AFTER 2-3 MINS THEY CLRED ME TO HARRISBURG VOR. I FINALLY GOT A FURTHER CLRNC TO RETURN TO YOUNGSTOWN; OH; AREA -- MY HOME AREA -- THAT WAS CLR. THE THIRD GREEN FINALLY CAME ON AND I LANDED SAFELY IN GROVE CITY (29D) WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE GEAR LATCH NEEDED TO BE ADJUSTED SO THAT IT WOULD NOT OPERATE IN THE ABOVE INTERMITTENT FASHION. I THINK I MADE THE CORRECT DECISIONS BUT SHOULD HAVE RPTED A MISS EARLIER SO THAT I COULD GO TO THE DESIGNATED HOLD POINT. I RECOMMEND THAT THE HOLDING POINT BE BETTER IDENTED ON THE APCH PLATE BY GIVING THE DME DISTANCE FROM THE VOR SO THAT YOU CAN GO RNAV DIRECT.