A PA34-200T ON APCH AT 2000 FT DECLARED AN EMER DUE TO NOSE LNDG GEAR FAILED TO EXTEND AND LOCK DOWN. AIRPLANE DAMAGED ON LNDG.

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I WAS ON AN IFR FLT PLAN FROM SRQ TO OPF IN VMC WITH 2 OTHER SOULS ON BOARD. I WAS CLRED TO LAND AND I DID MY BEFORE LNDG CHKLIST WHEN I NOTICED THAT I HAD AN UNSAFE LIGHT INDICATING THAT A GEAR WAS NOT DOWN AND LOCKED. I VERIFIED THAT WITH THE NON ILLUMINATING GREEN NOSE LIGHT AND BY OBSERVING MY LITTLE MIRROR ON THE L BY THE ENG COWLING. I THEN ADVISED THE OPF TWR OF THE SIT AND ASKED THEM FOR A LOW PASS OVER RWY 9L WHICH WAS THE ONE I WAS CLRED TO LAND. THE TWR THEN SAID THAT IT LOOKED TO THEM THAT THE NOSE GEAR WAS NOT FULLY EXTENDED IN THE DOWN POS. AT THAT TIME I WAS SURE I HAD A PROB. I THEN ASKED TO PROCEED TO THE W OF THE FIELD AND TROUBLESHOOT THE PROB. I BANKED THE PLANE L AND R A LITTLE AGGRESSIVELY TO SEE IF THE NOSE GEAR WOULD COME DOWN. I ALSO PITCHED UP AND DOWN BUT NO LUCK. I ALSO RETRACTED THE GEAR MANY TIMES WITH SAME RESULTS -- NO NOSE GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED INDICATION. AT THAT POINT I PULLED THE POH AND FOLLOWED THE EMER LNDG GEAR PROC VERY CAREFULLY SO I WOULD NOT MISS ANYTHING; BUT AGAIN NO LUCK. I CALLED THE TWR AND TOLD THEM THAT I WAS COMING BACK TO THE OPF ARPT AND HAD NOT BEEN ABLE TO LOCK THE NOSE GEAR IN THE DOWN POS. I WAS ASKED WHICH RWY I PREFERRED AND I SAID; 'THE ONE THAT LEAST IS GOING TO DELAY YOUR TFC.' THE TWR THEN ASSIGNED ME RWY 18. I CAME IN AS A NORMAL LNDG BUT DECIDED TO SHUT DOWN THE ENG JUST A FEW SECONDS BEFORE LNDG TO MINIMIZE THE DAMAGE TO THE AIRPLANE PROPS. THE PAX WERE ADVISED ABOUT THE SIT AND WHAT TO DO AND WHAT TO EXPECT. AS WE TOUCHED DOWN ON THE MAIN WHEELS; FIRST THE PROPS WERE STILL TURNING; AND A FEW SECONDS LATER THE NOSE TOUCHED DOWN BUT COLLAPSED AS WE WERE MOVING FORWARD TO A FULL STOP. I THEN MADE SURE EVERYTHING WAS SHUT DOWN AND OPENED THE DOOR AND WALKED AWAY FROM THE ACFT. THE PAX WERE ALREADY OUT. AT THAT POINT I HAD A FIRE TRUCK AND ARPT SECURITY ALREADY THERE WAITING FOR ME. THE SECURITY AGENT ASKED FOR MY PLT LICENSE AND DRIVING LICENSE AND ALSO THE REGISTRATION OF THE PLANE AND A FEW OTHER QUESTIONS OF THE FLT AND ALSO THE AIRPLANE. FINALLY THE TRUCKS CAME TO PULL THE PLANE OFF THE RWY AND TOOK IT TO A SHOP. I REMEMBER THE MECH SAYING THAT MANY SENECA'S NOSE GEAR HAD COLLAPSED DUE TO THE SAME PROB. SOME NOSE WHEEL BRACKET BREAKING AND CAUSING THE GEAR NOT TO EXTEND IN THE DOWN AND LOCK POS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT DURING THE ACFT RECOVERY WHEN THE NOSE WAS LIFTED FROM THE RWY THE SUPPORT BRACKET LOCATED AT THE TOP OF THE NOSE GEAR ASSEMBLY FELL OUT. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THIS BRACKET HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY DAMAGED BY TOWING AND EXCEEDING THE TURN LIMITS OF THE NOSE GEAR.