If the Before Landing checklist of the airplane you fly contains the phrase “Gear down and locked,” then it’s likely more than half of the reported accidents in your type of airplane involve operation of the landing gear. “Landing gear-related mishaps” – or any accident where the landing gear was a significant factor – consistently account for over half of all accidents in piston retracts.

Although they rarely hurt anyone seriously and often result in only minor damage, LGRMs are expensive. Some sources claim an average $40,000 to repair the results of a single-engine airplane involved in a mishap that results in only “minor” damage. LGRMs cost time, as it…