A PA23 PLT HAS TROUBLE GETTING THE LNDG GEAR DOWN DUE TO A POPPED CIRCUIT BREAKER. IT WAS PUSHED IN AND PLT LANDED SAFELY.

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I TOOK OFF TO DO 3 NIGHT LNDGS. UPON HITTING THE GEAR SWITCH ON DOWNWIND; SOMETHING SEEMED WRONG. LOWERING RPM'S TO BELOW 1000 FT TRIGGERED THE GEAR HORN; TELLING ME THAT THE GEAR HAD NOT LOWERED. (WHEN THE CABIN LIGHTS ARE ON IN THIS ACFT; THE GEAR LIGHTS DO NOT SHOW.) I FELT AROUND FOR THE CIRCUIT BREAKER; BUT NOTHING SEEMED UNUSUAL UNDER THE PANEL. I CALLED THE TWR FOR HELP. THEY SUGGESTED A LOW PASS. 2 PASSES PROVED UNFRUITFUL. THEY THEN ENLISTED ANOTHER PLT IN THE AREA WHO FLEW UNDER MY ACFT AND CONFIRMED THE GEAR WASN'T DOWN. I LOOKED AND FELT AGAIN FOR THE CIRCUIT BREAKER AND THIS TIME FOUND IT. I LOWERED THE GEAR. I TURNED OFF THE CABIN LIGHTS AND THE GEAR LIGHT WAS NOW ON. I WAS ALSO ABLE TO LOWER RPM'S TO BELOW 1000 FT WITHOUT SETTING OFF THE GEAR HORN. I WAS NOW READY TO RETURN TO THE ARPT; BUT ATC HAD CALLED THE FIRE DEPT. EVENTUALLY I WAS ALLOWED TO LAND. I BELIEVE THE COMBINATION OF LIGHTS; THE 14-VOLT BATTERY AND GENERATOR CONSPIRED TO OVERLOAD THE GEAR AND RESULTED IN A POPPED BREAKER. WE WILL FLY THIS ACFT MORE CAREFULLY AT NIGHT; CUTTING LIGHTS AS THE GEAR IS LOWERED. WHEN WE CAN AFFORD TO; WE WILL REPLACE THE GENERATOR WITH AN ALTERNATOR. WE WILL ALSO CHK TO SEE IF THE BATTERY IS STILL SUFFICIENTLY CHARGED. MY LACK OF TRUST IN MY PERCEPTIONS PROBABLY PROLONGED THIS ORDEAL. I SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE ASSERTIVE IN CHKING FOR THE CIRCUIT BREAKER BEFORE NOTIFYING ATC.