NTSB Factual Report

On June 25, 2005, at 0930 mountain daylight time, a Navion G, N2484T, piloted by a private pilot, was substantially damaged during landing at the Parowan Airport, Parowan, Utah. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot reported no injuries. The cross-country flight originated at El Centro, California.

The pilot reported that after entering downwind for runway 22 at the Parowan Airport, he noticed that the left main gear didn't drop and lock. He contacted the local Fixed Base Operator (FBO) and asked for a visual verification that his left main landing gear was still in the up-and-locked position. The FBO confirmed the gear was still up. The pilot continued circling the airport for approximately 1 hour attempting to free the gear by cycling the gear and using the emergency hand pump with no success. The pilot, running low on fuel and draining fuel from the tip tanks, decided to make a soft field, gear up landing between the taxiway and runway 22. During the landing, the airplane sustained damage to the bottom fuselage skin, the bottom portion of the firewall, the propeller, and the flap supports.

A post-accident inspection showed that the left landing light near the left gear was misaligned causing the left gear to jam and fail to extend. An examination of the other airplane systems showed no anomalies.

NTSB Probable Cause

The jammed left main landing gear and the wheels up landing. Factors contributing to the accident were the misaligned left landing light and that landing gear extension was not possible.