A PA34 PVT PLT MAKES A GEAR UP APCH AND PERFORMS A GAR WHEN HE REALIZES THE GEAR IS NOT EXTENDED. ACFT SUFFERS NICKED PROP TIPS FROM GND CONTACT.

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ON NOV/XA/98; I TOOK OFF FROM ALLAIRE ARPT IN A PIPER SENECA I TO PRACTICE SOME MANEUVERS. I HEADED S TOWARD MILLER ARPT PRACTICING STALLS AND STEEP TURNS. AS I APCHED MILLER ARPT I DECIDED TO PRACTICE A SIMULATED SINGLE ENG LNDG THERE. WHEN I WAS A FEW MI E OF THE ARPT I REDUCED MY L THROTTLE AND PRACTICED MY PROCS AND THEN SET MY THROTTLE FOR SIMULATED FEATHER WHICH LEAVES MY GEAR UP WARNING HORN ON. I HAD ALREADY BEEN MONITORING MILLER UNICOM AND REQUESTED AN ARPT ADVISORY AND WAS TOLD RWY 6 WAS ACTIVE. I ORIGINALLY PLANNED TO CROSS OVER THE RWY AT THE RWY 24 END AND ENTER A XWIND. AS I HEADED FOR THE RWY; I BEGAN A DSCNT FROM 2500 FT; AND WAS ABOUT TO DROP MY LNDG GEAR; BUT I SAW A MOONEY DEPARTING RWY 6 WHO ANNOUNCED HE WAS DOING A CLOSED PATTERN. I THEN DECIDED TO CROSS OVER MIDFIELD AND MAINTAIN 1500 FT AND GO OUT ON A 45 DEG FOR RWY 6 AND COME BACK IN ON A 45 DEG. WITH THIS DECISION; I DECIDED TO HOLD OFF ON MY GEAR UNTIL I WAS ON DOWNWIND. (I THOUGHT IT BETTER TO TREAT EVERYTHING NORMAL SO I WOULDN'T FORGET ANYTHING.) I PREMATURELY ANNOUNCED ENTERING ON A 45 DEG WHILE I WAS STILL HEADING OUTBOUND. I THEN BELIEVE THE MOONEY EXTENDED HIS PATTERN TO ACCOMMODATE ME; SO WHEN I TURNED BACK IN; HE ENDED UP RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME; NOT A THREAT OF COLLISION; BUT NOT GREAT SPACING. I TURNED L TO PUT MORE SPACING BTWN US AND THEN TURNED DOWNWIND. I ALSO THOUGHT IT SLOWED DOWN SO I ADDED 10 DEGS OF FLAPS. I GOT SO CAUGHT UP IN KEEPING MY DISTANCE FROM THE MOONEY THAT I DID NOT PERFORM MY 1ST GUMP CHK. THE GEAR HORN HAD NOW BEEN BLARING FOR AT LEAST 5 MINS AND I HAD JUST BECOME ACCUSTOMED TO IT AND TUNED IT OUT. I ADDED ANOTHER NOTCH OF FLAPS AT THE ABEAM POINT NOTICING I WAS A LITTLE FAST BUT MISSING ANOTHER SIGN BY NOT REALIZING WHY I WAS ACTUALLY FAST. SIMULATING SINGLE ENG STILL; IN MY MIND I DID NOT WANT TO GET TOO FAR OUT AND TURNED BASE A LITTLE CLOSER BEHIND THE MOONEY THAN I WOULD HAVE IF I WAS NOT PRACTICING SINGLE ENG. I WAS STILL TOO ABSORBED IN THE MOONEY'S POS AND DID NOT COMPLETE A GUMP CHK. ON FINAL I WAS WATCHING THE MOONEY ON THE RWY WHO HAD ANNOUNCED A TOUCH AND GO. I HAD THOUGHT ABOUT A GAR A COUPLE TIMES; BUT DID NOT LISTEN TO MY INSTINCTS AND ALSO THOUGHT IT WOULD BE MORE OF A CONFLICT TO THE MOONEY. WHEN I WAS ON SHORT FINAL; I WAS STILL WATCHING THE MOONEY WHO WAS STILL ROLLING ON THE RWY. WHEN HE WAS LIFTING OFF; I WAS JUST COMING OVER THE THRESHOLD AND LEVELING OFF. WITH THE MOONEY OUT OF THE WAY; I NOW REFOCUSED ON MY OWN ACTIVITY (OR INACTIVITY) AND REALIZED MY GEAR WAS STILL UP. I QUICKLY BROUGHT EVERYTHING FULL FORWARD TO GO AROUND. AS I DID I HEARD A 'SCRAPE' AND THOUGHT I HAD JUST SCRAPED THE TAIL OR THE STEP. THE ENGS WERE RUNNING SMOOTHLY AS I CLBED OUT. I STAYED CLOSE TO THE ARPT AND CHKED THE GEAR WHICH SEEMED FINE AND AT CRUISE I HAD NO VIBRATIONS. WHEN I WAS SATISFIED; I HEADED BACK TO ALLAIRE ARPT. ONLY UPON SHUTDOWN DID I REALIZE I HAD NICKED THE ENDS OF THE PROPS.