PA-46 Malibu Meridian
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 22; Flight Crew Total 2355; Flight Crew Type 22
Distraction
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Deviation - Altitude Excursion From Assigned Altitude; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance
Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance; Flight Crew Overcame Equipment Problem; Flight Crew Executed Go Around / Missed Approach; General Declared Emergency
Aircraft; Human Factors
During normal descent for landing on RNAV GPS approach a landing gear malfunction occurred. A missed approach was declared with request direct to published hold. While in the hold the gear extension checklist was run three times without any change in the unsafe indication. ATC did not call back at the EFC so we contacted them for a visual approach to the runway for a gear examination by ATC and Maintenance. En route to the airport we declared an emergency [due to a] landing gear problem. ATC queried as to souls onboard and intentions. Proceeding to the inspection point; the final emergency landing gear extension checklist was completed. Due to the airspeed restriction of 90 knots and the unusual flight control inputs 'yaw' specified [by the checklist] the autopilot and alt hold [were] disconnected and a loss of altitude [occurred and] was uncorrected for 30 seconds. The alert ATC Controller requested correction which we could not perform immediately due to the slow airspeed and aircraft configuration: gear down; flaps down; airspeed less than 90 knots. A slow climb back to altitude was commenced. While climbing; the Tower Controller requested lower altitude for gear inspection and the climb was stopped and a descent was initiated. Given the circumstances and the configuration and airspeed restriction some loss of altitude would occur. In order to not have a loss of altitude; a more serious condition of decaying airspeed with a possible stall loss of control in close proximity to ground might arise. A loss of 200 feet did not seem to be an unreasonable expectation given the emergency.
While troubleshooting a gear extension problem on a PA-46; the pilot lost 200 feet of altitude.  This was pointed out by ATC and the pilot corrected for it.