BE35 ON IFR APCH WAS UNABLE TO GET GEAR DOWN INDICATION. COMPLETED APCH AND MADE FLY-BY FOR TWR TO CHK GEAR. LOW CEILINGS ELECTED TO LAND WITH EMER EQUIP STANDING BY. ON ROLLOUT GEAR FAILED AND ACFT SLID SHORT DISTANCE CAUSING MINOR DAMAGE TO FUSELAGE.

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ZDC HAD CLRED ACFT FOR STRAIGHT-IN RWY 3 AT LYH AND TURNED ACFT OVER TO LYH TWR. AT EVI BEACON FIX; GEAR HANDLE WAS PLACED IN DOWN POS TO COMMENCE DSCNT. PLT REALIZED GEAR DID NOT INDICATE DOWN AND NOTIFIED TWR THAT APCH WOULD CONTINUE WITH TWR HAVING VISUAL CONTACT LATER TO LOOK AT GEAR. GEAR WOULD NOT RECYCLE SO HANDLE WAS LEFT IN DOWN POS. AFTER 2 LOW VISIBILITY PASSES BY THE TWR AND SOME ATTEMPT MADE TO MANUALLY LOWER THE GEAR; THE PLT DECIDED THAT FLYING AROUND UNDER THE CLOUDS IN THESE FLT CONDITIONS WAS UNSAFE AND ELECTED TO ATTEMPT A LNDG. IGNITION AND FUEL WERE SHUT OFF BEFORE ROUNDOUT AND ACFT TOUCHED DOWN WITH PROP STOPPED NEARLY HORIZ. ACFT ATTEMPTED TO ROLL FOR A MOMENT BEFORE L SIDE LOWERED TO THE RWY. THE SLIDE WAS UNEVENTFUL WITH ACFT GOING SLIGHTLY TO THE R BEFORE STOPPING ON THE RWY. BATTERY SWITCH WAS TURNED OFF. TWR WAS MOST COOPERATIVE IN HAVING CRASH EQUIP IN PLACE AND ARPT CREWS WERE HELPFUL AND PROMPT IN THEIR ACTIONS. ACFT DAMAGE: MINOR UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES.