A CARGO PLT; FLYING A DC3 IN WHICH HE HAS VERY LOW TIME; BECAME DISTR BY A LNDG GEAR ANOMALY AND EXPERIENCED A CFIT AT LAF.

Narrative

WHILE VFR IN MVFR CONDITIONS; I DECIDED TO EXECUTE THE NDB 10 APCH AT LAF. TRACKING DIRECTLY TO THE OM FROM THE N; WE WERE PROVIDING OUR OWN NAV TO THE OM. UPON XING THE OM; I INITIATED A L TURN TO INTERCEPT THE COURSE AND CALLED FOR 'GEAR DOWN; 1/4 FLAPS.' WE WERE IN VFR CONDITIONS AND USING THE NDB FOR GUIDANCE TO THE ARPT; ONLY I HAD DECIDED TO DSND TO 1600 FT MSL TO CROSS THE OM (THAT IS 1000 FT AGL). HERE IS WHAT SCARED ME. WE HAD TROUBLE GETTING THE 'GEAR PRESSURE' TO BUILD ON TO ACCEPTABLE LEVEL WHILE IT WAS EXTENDING AND WHILE I WAS IN A L TURN. I GOT DISTR BY THE GEAR INDICATION AND ALSO (WITH THE COPLT) FIXATED ON ITS PROB. BEING DISTR; I DSNDED TO JUST BELOW 1000 FT MSL. I THINK IT WAS ABOUT 950-980 FT MSL. THIS ALT IS ONLY ABOUT 300-400 FT AGL. WHEN I REALIZED THIS; I STARTED A CLBING L TURN LIKE THE MISSED APCH INSTRUCTIONS REQUIRE. WHILE ON THE MISSED (CLBING L TURN) WE MADE VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE ARPT AND FINISHED WHAT WAS ABOUT A 300 DEG TURN AND PROCEEDED TO THE ARPT. I GUESS THE ISSUE HERE IS THAT THE PF (CAPT) GOT DISTR BY THE GEAR PROB AND GOT TOO LOW TO THE GND. I SHOULD HAVE LET THE COPLT DEAL WITH THE PROB AND FOCUSED ON FLYING THE ACFT. THE TIME OF DAY (DAWN -- LITTLE LIGHT) AND THE HAZY CONDITIONS DID NOT HELP; AS ANY VISUAL REF TO OUTSIDE WAS MORE DIFFICULT THAN NORMAL. UPON LNDG; WE DISCOVERED THAT THE HYD FLUID QUANTITY WAS LOW. THAT WAS THE REASON FOR THE MUCH SLOWER THAN NORMAL BUILD-UP OF 'GEAR DOWN PRESSURE' WHICH LED TO THE DISTR IN THE FIRST PLACE.