AZTEC PA23T250 PLT RPT REGARDING A FUEL LEAK FROM THE L INBOARD FUEL TANK AT THE FILLER CAP. DECIDING TO LAND AS SOON AS PRACTICAL TO CHK THE SIT HE MADE AN APCH TO A NON TWR ARPT AND HIS WHEELS HIT A TRUCK ON A ROADWAY. WITH DAMAGED GEAR HE THEN RETURNED TO HOME ARPT AND LANDED ADJACENT TO THE RWY ON THE DIRT. NO INJURIES.

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A PHOTOGRAPHER AND MYSELF DEPARTED PIH AT APPROX XA00Z. OUR MISSION WAS 20-30 AERIAL PHOTO SITES NEAR THE IDAHO- WYOMING BORDER; APPROX 90 NM E OF PIH. 20 NM E OF PIH; I NOTICED FUEL LEAKING OUT OF THE L INBOARD FUEL TANK; NEAR THE FILLER CAP. I CHOSE TO LAND AS SOON AS PRACTICAL TO CHK THE PROB. THE CLOSEST ARPT WITH ENOUGH RWY TO LAND THE AZTEC (PA23T250) HAPPENED TO BE TIGERT; SODA SPRINGS (U78); ABOUT 15 NM E OF OUR POS. AFTER CONFIGURING THE AIRPLANE FOR DSCNT; COMPLETING CHKLISTS; AND XMITTING OVER UNICOM (122.8) OF OUR INTENTIONS; I CHOSE RWY 16 BECAUSE OF WIND DIRECTION AND SPD. ON SHORT FINAL THE ACFT WAS IN A STABILIZED; PWR-ON APCH IN THE NORMAL LNDG CONFIGN ON GLIDE PATH; WHEN SUDDENLY WE HEARD A LOUD NOISE AND THE AIRPLANE BECAME ALMOST UNCTLABLE. OUR LNDG GEAR HAD CLIPPED A SEMI TRUCK AS WE WERE ALMOST IN THE LNDG FLARE. I MADE A GAR AND HEADED BACK TO PIH AND RPTED OUR PROB AND ADVISED TWR WE WOULD HAVE TO PERFORM A GEAR UP LNDG AFTER CIRCLING THE ARPT FOR A LITTLE OVER 2 HRS TO BURN REMAINING FUEL. THE GEAR UP LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL; AND PAX AND MYSELF WALKED AWAY WITHOUT A SCRATCH. AFTER SPEAKING WITH THE FAA; I AM STILL UNAWARE IF THIS IS CONSIDERED AN INCIDENT OR ACCIDENT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT THIS IS CONSIDERED AN INCIDENT. THE DAMAGE WAS TO THE GEAR ONLY; WITH THE L MAIN GEAR GONE WHEN THEY STRUCK THE TRUCK; THE R GEAR WAS BENT AND THE NOSE GEAR WAS OK. ON THE RETURN TO PIH AND FROM CONVERSATION WITH TWR; THEY DECIDED TO LAND IN A DESIGNATED AREA ADJACENT TO THE RWY IN A DIRT AREA. THE ADDITIONAL DAMAGE WAS CONFINED TO THE BELLY SKIN. RPTR BELIEVES THE NOSE UP ATTITUDE ON THE APCH IS THE REASON HE WAS UNABLE TO SEE THE TRUCK. THE ROADWAY IS ABOUT 300 FT FROM THE LNDG THRESHOLD. HE WISHES HE HAD RETURNED IMMEDIATELY TO PIH. RPTR WILL BE REQUIRED TO TAKE A 609 RIDE WITH AN FAA INSPECTOR.