PA32R PLT DEPARTS WITH DOOR NOT SECURED ON UPPER LATCH. IN PROCESS OF DIVERT TO LAND MAKES A GEAR UP LNDG. THE PA32R HAS AN AUTOMATIC GEAR EXTENSION SYS WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO EXTEND WHEN PWR AND OR AIRSPD ARE LOW. THIS DID NOT HAPPEN. THE GEAR HANDLE WAS IN THE DOWN POS.

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ON APR/XX/97; I WAS FLYING A PA32R VFR ON AN IFR FLT PLAN FROM HKY TO CRE. ON DEP FROM HKY WE HAD EXCESSIVE WIND NOISE AND I NOTICED THE TOP LATCH ALTHOUGH LOCKED WAS NOT HOOKED. THE NOISE ON THE HEADSETS DUE TO THE AIR FLOW ACROSS THE MIKE WAS SO BAD; WE DISCONNECTED THE R FRONT PAX MIKE AND IT IMPROVED THE SIT SOME. WE THEN CONTACTED CHARLOTTE TWR ON 125.15 AND WE WERE BEING CLRED TO LIB VOR. WE TRIED TO RE-LATCH THE TOP LATCH FOR SEVERAL MINS WITHOUT SUCCESS; WHEN AT ALT WE OPENED AND RE-CLOSED THE R PAX DOOR SEVERAL TIMES BUT AGAIN COULD NOT GET IT LATCHED. WE WERE STILL HAVING A HARD TIME HEARING CHARLOTTE BUT WE HAD COMMUNICATED TO THEM THAT WE HAD A DOOR LATCH PROB; CHARLOTTE RECALLED AND WE AGAIN ASKED FOR ANOTHER MIN TO WORK ON THE DOOR LATCH. THEY SUGGESTED LINCOLN COUNTY ARPT AT APPROX 2.5 NM AHEAD IF WE NEEDED IT. I DECIDED TO LAND. WHEN APPROX ON OUR DOWNWIND LEG CHARLOTTE CANCELED IFR; TOLD US TO SQUAWK VFR AND TO CONTACT TWR ONCE ON THE GND; ALMOST IMMEDIATELY THEY CAME BACK; TOLD US TO RE-SQUAWK XXXX AND REMAIN WITH THEM ON 125.15. ABEAM THE RWY ON THE DOWNWIND LEG I PUT IN 10 DEGS OF FLAPS AND I THOUGHT GEAR DOWN; I TYPICALLY DO THE TWO SIMULTANEOUSLY. ON FINAL WE WERE ESTABLISHED AT APPROX 100 MPH WITH A XWIND FROM THE W. WE ADDED THE SECOND NOTCH OF FLAPS WHEN TURNING FINAL AND WENT TO FULL FLAPS JUST PRIOR TO XING THE THRESHOLD. WE WERE WELL INTO THE FLARE; ON THE CTRLINE WITH SLIGHT XWIND CORRECTION; THROTTLE AT IDLE AND FLOATING GENTLY TOWARD THE RWY WHEN I HEARD WHAT I EXPECTED TO BE THE STALL-WARNING HORN. I REMEMBER SEEING THE RED 'GEAR UNSAFE LIGHT' ABOVE THE PLT YOKE FLASH ON/OFF RIGHT BEFORE THE AFT OF THE ACFT TOUCHED ON THE PAVEMENT. WE HAD PROP STRIKE AND SKIDDED TO A STOP JUST ON THE R EDGE OF THE RWY. I CUT THE MAGNETOS; MASTER AND FUEL AND TOLD THE 3 PAX TO GET OUT OF THE PLANE IMMEDIATELY. I IMMEDIATELY RAN FOR HELP TO THE FBO WHO NOTIFIED FSS. AT ONE POINT DURING MANY CONVERSATIONS WITH FAA/FSS/FSDO PERSONNEL; I WAS ASKED IF THE GEAR LEVER WAS UP. I ASSUMED IT WAS BECAUSE OF THE GEAR UP LNDG; BUT WENT OUT TO THE PLANE LATER AND FOUND THAT IT WAS IN THE DOWN POS. I IMMEDIATELY RAN BACK TO THE FBO TO CALL FSS TO UPDATE MY STORY. FSDO INDICATED I MAY HAVE PUT IT DOWN SUBCONSCIOUSLY DURING THE FIRST INDICATION OF GND CONTACT; BUT; I CERTAINLY DON'T RECALL THAT. THE FBO ATTENDANT CAN VERIFY THAT I DID NOT VISIT THE PLANE AT ALL UNTIL THE TOW TRUCKS ARRIVED TO REMOVE THE ACFT FROM THE RWY; IN ADDITION PICTURES OF THE ACFT WERE TAKEN PRIOR TO ME REVISTING THE ACFT. FOR A MAJORITY OF THE TIME LAW AND FIRE PERSONNEL ATTENDED THE PLANE. WHEN THE PLANE WAS LIFTED FROM THE RWY; THE GEAR DROPPED AND LOCKED. ONCE THE PLANE WAS TOWED AND TIED DOWN; I TURNED ON THE MASTER AND VERIFIED THERE WERE 3 GREENS ON THE LNDG GEAR. THUS THE BATTERY HAD NOT BEEN DISCONNECTED BY EMER PERSONNEL. THE VISIBLE DAMAGE I SAW WITH LIMITED LIGHT WAS MINOR. THE INSIDE EDGE FLAPS NEXT TO THE FUSELAGE WAS FLATTENED; THE METAL STEP ATTACHED TO THE FUSELAGE BEHIND THE R WING WAS HANGING. THE UNDERCARRIAGE LOOKED GOOD ALONG THE RIBBING (WITH CAR LIGHTS ONLY). THE PROP WAS PEELED BACK SIGNIFICANTLY BUT SYMMETRICALLY. WE OBVIOUSLY HAD SOME ABNORMAL CONDITIONS WITH THE DOOR BEING PARTIALLY OPEN; BUT; THE APCH WAS VERY GOOD. THIS PLANE WAS EQUIPPED WITH A BACKUP GEAR EXTENSION SYS WHICH EVEN IF I FAILED TO PUT DOWN THE GEAR SHOULD HAVE ENGAGED. IT OPERATES ON PWR AND AIRSPD. IT SHOULD ENGAGE BTWN 93 MPH AND 118 MPH. WE WERE WELL BELOW 93 MPH WITH THROTTLE AT OR NEAR IDLE AFTER XING THE RWY THRESHOLD. DURING MY CHK RIDE WE TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO CAUSE THE BACKUP SYS TO ENGAGE AS EXPECTED; IT WORKED BUT NOT AS EXPECTED. ANOTHER PLT ALSO INDICATED THE SAME. THE GEAR SYS WAS NOT IN THE OVERRIDE POS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES HIS COMMENT ABOUT THE GEAR NOT WORKING 'AS EXPECTED' DURING HIS CHK OUT IN THE LANCE WAS TO INDICATE THAT WHEN THEY ATTEMPTED TO HAVE THE GEAR EXTEND BY REDUCING AIRSPD; THE GEAR STARTED DOWN BUT DID NOT EXTEND COMPLETELY. THEY USED NORMAL GEAR EXTENSION PROCS TO GET THE GEAR TO EXTEND AS RPTR DID DURING THIS INCIDENT. HOWEVER; HE SHOULD HAVE HEARD A GEAR WARNING HORN OR GEAR SHOULD HAVE AUTOMATICALLY EXTENDED WHEN PWR AND AIRSPD WERE REDUCED. THIS DID NOT OCCUR. MECH AND RPTR FEEL THIS MECHANISM ON THIS ACFT IS NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. FAA INVESTIGATION HAS OCCURRED AND RPTR MUST TAKE A '609' RIDE.