19981221042129I

(-5)The flight instructor, j. billotin, was giving an instructional flight in N5481T, a Piper seneca at Brackett airport at approximately 3:30 pm PST. His student, sitting in the left seat, was Mr. S. Rodriguez. Mr. Rodriguez was training for a multi-engine class rating to be added to his pilot certificate. The aircraft was aligned with runway 26L and given clearance to takeoff from the tower. Upon climbout, when the landing gear was raised, the instructor noticed that the red gear unsafe light was illuminated. Thinking there was a gear problem, he immediately lowered the landing gear after which the 3 green gear safe lights illuminated and the red unsafe light extinguished. He decided to recycle the landing gear several times on climbout, each time the red unsafe light would come on with the gear retracted and the 3 green safe light would come on with the gear extended. In the extended position the red unsafe light would extinguish. Mr. Billotin flew a right crosswind and then turned to the right downwind. Once abeam the tower, he notified controllers of his situation. He described the problem to ATCT and stated that he thought he may have unsafe gear and wanted to land. The tower approved a low approach to runway 26R so that the controllers might visually check the gear position for the pilot. Abeam the tower, two controllers viewed the undercarriage of the aircraft with binoculars and told the pilot that the position of the landing gear appeared down. The aircraft was cleared for a left crosswind to a left downwind and cleared to land on runway 26L. Mr. Billotin, flying the aircraft, and Mr. Rodriguez, working the throttles, set up for a soft field landing as a precaution. The flight instructor landing as softly as possible on the main gear and allowed the nose gear to slowly descend to the runway surface. Once the nose wheel contacted the runway surface, it provided no support for the nose itself, and allowed it (the nose of the aircraft) to slowly descend to the runway surface. At approxiamtely 20 knots the nose fuselage contacted the runway and in doing so, allowed the porpellers of both engines to contact the surface. With the propellers operating at low RPM, the engines stopped once surface contact was made. The aircraft stopped between taxiway delta and echo of runway 26L, approximately 2500'FEET from the approach end of the runway. Damage was limited to the propellers, both engines, and the underside of the nose section of the aircraft. Neither of the two occupants of the aircraft were injured.