A PVT PLT FLYING HIS DEBONAIR (BE35A) LANDS WITH THE GEAR NOT EXTENDED DUE TO AN ALTERNATOR FAILURE AT PPQ; IL.

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THIS IS AN ACCOUNT OF THE EVENTS LEADING TO THE BELLY LANDING OF FLT ON XA/NOV/99. IT WAS A PLEASURE TRIP; WHERE THE PLT (HOLDING A PVT PLT RATING) AND 3 FAMILY MEMBERS WERE RETURNING FROM 3NO; NE; TO PPQ; IL. I RECEIVED A WX BRIEFING; IT WAS VFR AND ACTIVATED THE VFR FLT PLAN AND REQUESTED FLT FOLLOWING. NEAR KIRKSVILLE; I NOTICED THAT THE ALTERNATOR WARNING LIGHT HAD COME ON INDICATING THAT THE ALTERNATOR WAS NOT CHARGING. I CYCLED THE MASTER SWITCH A FEW TIMES AND IT STAYED ON. I THEN CALLED ZKC TO ALERT THEM OF THIS 3 TIMES AND WAS NOT ABLE TO GET A RESPONSE. I THEN CONTACTED STL RADIO ON 122.5 AND WAS ABLE TO TALK WITH THEM. BY NOW; QUINCY WAS PASSING TO MY L AND I WAS STILL AT 5500 FT. PPQ; MY HOME BASE; WAS ONLY 20 NM AHEAD; SO I CONTINUED THERE RATHER THAN LAND AT UIN THAT WAS 5 NM BEHIND. I EXPLAINED MY CIRCUMSTANCES TO THE FSS; THEY WERE VERY HELPFUL AND STAYED WITH ME UNTIL MY RADIO RAN OUT. I TRIED TO GET FLAPS. THEY MOVED SLIGHTLY AND STOPPED. I PULLED THE GEAR SWITCH TO THE DOWN POS AND HEARD THE WINDING NOISE START LIKE THE GEAR WAS GOING DOWN BUT STOP IN SHORTER CYCLE AND THE GREEN LIGHT NEVER CAME ON. IN FACT; BY NOW THE WARNING WINDOW ON THE TURN COORDINATOR HAD TURNED RED AND I REMEMBER THINKING THAT THE PWR MUST REALLY BE DOWN FOR THAT TO HAPPEN. I DO NOT RECOLLECT PULLING THE CIRCUIT BREAKER FOR THE LNDG GEAR. I DID UNCOVER THE HANDLE ON THE MANUAL EXTENSION ARM AND STARTED TO TURN. I DID ASK MY DAUGHTER SITTING BEHIND ME TO COUNT THE TURNS; AND SHE COUNTED OVER 40. THE HANDLE BECAME HARDER TO TURN. BTWN US WE TURNED IT MORE TIMES UNTIL IT STOPPED TURNING; AND WOULD NOT MOVE AT ALL. THE INDICATION ON THE NOSE GEAR HAD NOT CHANGED. BY NOW I HAD MADE SEVERAL PASSES ON THE ARPT; THERE WAS NO OTHER TFC SEEN. MY WIFE TOLD ME THERE WERE 3 VEHICLES PARKED; BUT THESE WERE OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE HANGARS; AND NO SIGNAL WAS SEEN ON THE GND; THE RADIO WAS NOT WORKING. I MADE AN APCH TO LAND AND CAME TO ALMOST TOUCHDOWN. I DID NOT FEEL THE LNDG GEAR CONNECT TO THE GND AND APPLIED PWR AND WENT AROUND AGAIN. WE TRIED THE SAME STEPS TO GET THE LNDG GEAR DOWN. IT WAS LOCKED TIGHT IN THAT THE HANDLE WOULD NOT MOVE. AT THIS TIME I RAN THROUGH MY MIND THE OPTIONS AHEAD OF ME; BY CONTINUING TO CIRCLE THERE WAS GOING TO BE NO CHANGE IN WHAT I COULD DO. I HAD FILLED UP AT 3NO FULL 74 GALLONS USABLE AND SO STILL HAD 3 1/2 HRS OF FUEL LEFT; IT WAS NOW SOME TIME LATER AND TO STAY UP IN THE AIR TO BURN THE FUEL WOULD LEAD ME INTO A NIGHT LNDG. I FELT THAT THERE WAS NOTHING LEFT FOR ME TO DO BUT GO AHEAD AND LAND PRAYING THAT SOMEHOW THE LNDG GEAR WAS OUT. I AGAIN LOOKED FOR SOME HELP ON THE GND TO ASSESS THIS. UNFORTUNATELY THE RADIO WAS DEAD AND I COULD SEE NO ACTIVITY ON THE GND. AT THIS POINT I COMMITTED MYSELF TO A LNDG WITH POSITIVE CTL TO REDUCE THE IMPACT AND APCHED RWY 13 FOR THE SECOND TIME. I CTLED THE ANGLE OF DSCNT AND AIRSPD (NO FLAPS) UNTIL I WAS IN GND EFFECT AND PITCHED UP THE NOSE AND HELD IT UNTIL I HEARD THE STALL HORN AND THEN LET IT SINK AND COME IN CONTACT WITH THE RWY ABOUT MIDWAY. I REMEMBER SEEING THE PROPS BEND. I STAYED ON THE CTLS TO KEEP THE ACFT FROM TURNING; IT SCREECHED STRAIGHT AND SLOWED DOWN AND FINALLY TURNED A BIT TO THE R JUST BEFORE IT STOPPED AT THE OLD TURN-AROUND POINT JUST BEFORE THE EXTENSION OF THE RWY. THERE WAS SOME SMOKE COMING FROM THE ENG; BUT NO FLAMES. I HAD TURNED THE PWR OFF AT SOME POINT. WE OPENED THE DOOR AND HELPED MY WIFE AND MY FATHER FROM THE BACK SEAT. WE ALL HAD COME OUT OF THE ACFT WITHOUT A SCRATCH WHEN THE VARIOUS VEHICLES STARTED TO PULL UP AND HELP US. I CALLED STL FSS ON MY CELL PHONE AS SOON AS I WAS OUT OF THE PLANE. LATER EXAMINATION OF THE PLANE SHOWED THAT ONLY THE BOTTOM OF THE FUSELAGE HAD COME IN CONTACT WITH THE SURFACE; THAT THE NOSE GEAR DOOR AND THE MAIN GEAR DOORS WERE NOT DAMAGED. THE BOOM RAISED THE PLANE TO MOVE IT AND I CONNECTED A JUMPER CABLE TO THE BATTERY AND PUSHED IN THE FUSE AND THE GEAR CAME DOWN AND LOCKED IN POS. I WAS THEN ABLE TO PULL THE ACFT TO THE HANGAR ON ITS OWN WHEELS. LESSONS LEARNED: AFTER INFORMING FSS; TURN MASTER SWITCH OFF AND PRESERVE PWR TO USE IT FOR GETTING FLAPS AND MAIN GEAR TO WORK FOR THE LNDG LATER; OR GET THE MAIN GEAR DOWN RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING. THE REASON WHY THE MANUAL GEAR EXTENSION DID NOT WORK REMAINS UNCLR IN MY MIND. I THINK NOW THAT I WAS TURNING THE HANDLE CLOCKWISE RATHER THAN COUNTER-CLOCKWISE AS WAS NECESSARY.