** The landing gear handle in Melmoth 2 is
centered except when the gear is in transit
— so it gives no clue of the gear's current
position.**
Key Takeaways:
An experienced pilot recounts two incidents (one actual, one near) of gear-up landings, demonstrating how easily cognitive biases and misinterpretation can lead to critical errors despite routines.
The most recent near-miss highlighted a specific flaw in his "analog" gear indicator check, where he unconsciously focused on the completeness of the cycle rather than the explicit "up" or "down" status.
To mitigate such errors, the author implemented several safety enhancements, including color-coding the gear indicator, adding a direct visual check, and reinforcing pre-landing checklists.
Peter Garrison taught himself to use a slide rule and tin snips, built an airplane in his backyard, and flew it to Japan. He began contributing to FLYING in 1968, and he continues to share his columns, ""Technicalities"" and ""Aftermath,"" with FLYING readers.
