LNDG GEAR PROB. ACFT RETURNED TO ARPT OF ORIGIN; RETURN LAND.

Narrative

ON AN IFR FLT PLAN FROM PLB TO SLK IN A BEECH 1900D COMMUTER; AN ILS APCH WAS REQUIRED TO LAND AT SLK DUE TO CLOUD COVER AND WIND DIRECTION (ILS RWY 23 SLK). ESTABLISHED ON THE APCH AND PRIOR TO REACHING BRIEL LOM; I ATTEMPTED TO EXTEND THE LNDG GEAR; AND THE GEAR FAILED TO EXTEND. WE CONTINUED THE APCH AND EXECUTED A MISSED APCH AT THE MISSED APCH DECISION HT. WE FLEW THE PUBLISHED MISSED APCH AND I GAVE THE CTLS TO THE FO. AT THAT TIME I TRIED TO TROUBLE-SHOOT THE PROB BY USING THE APPROPRIATE GEAR MALFUNCTION CHKLIST. WE EXTENDED THE GEAR SUCCESSFULLY; MANUALLY. AT THAT TIME SINCE THE WX CONDITIONS STILL REQUIRED AN ILS APCH; I DECIDED THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION WAS TO LAND BACK AT PLB RATHER THAN SLK. THE DISTANCE FROM SLK-PIB IS 34 NM. SINCE SLK IS IN UNCTLED AIRSPACE THE FULL APCH IS REQUIRED. THE COURSE REVERSAL WOULD TAKE ME OUT TO 16.5 MI FROM SLK AND THEN ANOTHER 16.5 MI BACK TO SLK ARPT. AT THAT POINT 16.5 MI IT WOULD PUT US 1/2 WAY BACK TO PLATTSBURGH. SO THE DECISION WAS MADE TO GO BACK TO PLATTSBURGH WHEREUPON ARR THE ACFT WAS STOPPED ON THE RWY; THE GEAR WAS SUCCESSFULLY PINNED BY BEECH 1900 MAINT PERSONS AND THE PAX WERE BUSSED BACK TO THE TERMINAL WITH NO HARM DONE TO ANYONE. FAA REGS STATE THAT WHEN A FAILURE LIKE THIS OCCURS THE ACFT IS REQUIRED TO LAND AT THE NEAREST SUITABLE ARPT; WHICH AT THAT TIME WOULD HAVE BEEN SLK. BUT DUE TO THE AIRSPACE CONFIGN AND SVCS AVAILABLE; IN OUR MINDS PLB WAS THE NEAREST SUITABLE ARPT. THE ACFT WAS TAKEN BACK TO OUR MAINT FACILITY ON THE ARPT WHERE IT WAS FOUND TO HAVE A FAULTY GEAR HANDLE.