GEAR UP LNDG.

Narrative

I WAS OCCUPYING THE L SEAT AND ACTING AS PIC OF ACFT DURING VOR A APCH TO RWY 23 AT IKK. ARPT AND RADIO TFC NECESSITATED UNPLANNED MANEUVERING INSIDE THE FINAL APCH FIX. DUE TO A SUDDEN FAILURE OF SECOND PLT'S HEADSET MIKE; WHICH MADE INTRA-COCKPIT COM QUITE DIFFICULT; I DIRECTED HIM TO MANIPULATE THE CTLS WHILE I HANDLED THE RADIO AND CHKLISTS. ALTHOUGH PLANNING TO EXECUTE A MISS; THIS LATTER ADDITION TO THE WORKLOAD PROMPTED MY DECISION TO LAND FOR CORRECTION OF THE PROB; AND I SO INFORMED THE SECOND PLT. RE-RUNNING THE PREVIOUSLY INTERRUPTED BEFORE LNDG CHKLIST; I CALLED FOR 'GEAR DOWN' AND REACHED UNDER SECOND PLT'S ARM TO VERIFY HANDLE POS; GRASPING AND PRESSING IT FIRMLY DOWN. ALTHOUGH AWKWARD CONDITIONS PREVENTED ME FROM SEEING THE SINGLE GREEN 'SAFE' LIGHT TO THE R OF THE CONSOLE; I WAS CONVINCED OF THE DOWN POS AND PROCEEDED WITH THE REMAINING ITEMS ON THE LIST. (I USE A MECHANICAL SLIDING-TAB POST-MOUNTED CHKLIST) GUSTY AIR ON THE SHORT FINAL DESTABILIZED THE APCH ON XING THE THRESHOLD. THUS; PWR SUFFICIENT TO DELAY THE GEAR UNSAFE HORN WAS MAINTAINED UNTIL JUST BEFORE TOUCHDOWN. THE EARPHONES AND CTAF CHATTER CANCELED ANY AUDIBILITY TO THIS HORN; AND THE ACFT SUBSEQUENTLY TOUCHED DOWN AND SLID TO AN OTHERWISE UNEVENTFUL STOP. I BELIEVE THAT THE CHIEF CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO THIS INADVERTENT OCCURRENCE WERE: 1) HVY LCL UNCTLED VFR TFC CAUSING VISUAL AND AURAL DISTRS WITH INTERRUPTION OF FINAL APCH; 2) SUDDEN DETERIORATION OF COM ABILITY; 3) MOMENTARILY PHYSICALLY AWKWARD COCKPIT CONDITIONS PRECLUDING POSITIVE GEAR-DOWN CONFIRMATION; AND 4) LATE PWR REDUCTION NEGATING UNSAFE GEAR WARNING. NO IMMEDIATE RPT WAS MADE TO NTSB DUE TO MY INTERPRETATION OF PART 830; TO WIT: 830.2 DEFINES 'ACFT ACCIDENT' AS ONE IN WHICH ACFT RECEIVES 'SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE;' AND FURTHER DEFINES THAT WHICH IS NOT CONSIDERED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE 'FOR PURPOSES OF THIS PART' AS 'BENT FAIRINGS OR COWLING; DENTED SKIN; GND DAMAGE TO PROP BLADES; OR DAMAGE TO FLAPS.' NO OTHER PORTION OF THIS PART APPEARS APPLICABLE; AS VISUAL INSPECTION OF ACFT SHOWS NO OTHER DAMAGE THAN THAT DESCRIBED ABOVE.