20031019026959I

(-23) The pilot lined up with the runway on final approach. He was landing into the late afternoon sun. He put the landing gear handle in the gear down position, but did not get a gear down and locked light. The pilot thought that the landing gear had failed to extend. Three attempts were made to extend the gear with the gear down handle. All attempts failed to get a gear down and locked light. The pilot tried to extend the gear with the emergency gear down system. These attempts failed to get a gear down and locked light. The pilot may have failed to use the correct emergency gear extension procedures, to extend the gear. The aircraft landing gear was tested, and found to work normally. The gear was cycled 10 times and worked each time. The emergency gear extension system was tested and found to work properly. The landing gear down and locked light intensity was in the dime position. The light was tied into the cockpit lighting system, and that system was at max dim. Landing into the late evening sun would make it extremely difficult, to determine the gear position with the light fully dimmed.