[747fulloftapes]

The landing gear lever is rather prominently featured in the 787 in a panel central to the cockpit layout so that either pilot can easily reach it. For decades and across many manufacturers, the landing gear lever has traditionally featured a knob that deliberately resembles an airplane wheel. It's very hard to mistake it for anything else. It's actuated by simply moving it up or down.

The fuel control switches are behind the throttle stalks above the handles to release the engine fire suppression agents. These switches are markedly smaller and have guards on each side protecting them from accidental manipulation. You need to reach behind and twirl your fingers around a bit to reach them. Actuating these switches requires pulling the knob up sufficiently to clear a stop lock before then rotating down. There are two switches that were activated in sequence and in short order.

The pilot monitoring is responsible for raising the gear in response to the pilot flyings' instruction.

I would find it very difficult to believe this was a muscle memory mistake. At the very least, I would want to more evidence supporting such a proposition.

This idea strikes me as even more unlikely than someone shifting their moving vehicle into reverse while intending to activate the window wipers.

[macintux]

> This idea strikes me as even more unlikely than someone shifting their moving vehicle into reverse while intending to activate the window wipers.

I suspect you've never driven an older vehicle with the shifter on the steering column.

[losvedir]

Or a Tesla. I've done this exact thing, although the car just beeped at me and refused to go into reverse, of course.

[ExoticPearTree]

> I suspect you've never driven an older vehicle with the shifter on the steering column.

Or a new Mercedes ;)

[bravesoul2]

But if he did, would have done hours of retraining in a simulator?

[AdamN]

Or even crazier, a manual shift on the steering column. Nothing weirder than pushing down the clutch and then changing the gear with your hand on a knob off to the side of the steering wheel.

[vachina]

The pilot wasn’t flying an unfamiliar aircraft.

[justsid]

But the 787 doesn’t have an easily confused layout like that. The landing gear lever and fuel cut off switches are not two stalks on the yoke. Aircraft cockpits are deliberately designed in such a way that important things have differently shaped actuators that feel different from each other. Precisely so that you are not accidentally flipping the wrong switch by accident.

[wkat4242]

> It's very hard to mistake it for anything else. It's actuated by simply moving it up or down.

On some aircraft types you also have to pull it towards you before moving it to avoid hitting it by mistake.

But I agree it's very unlikely to be a muscle memory mistake.