What is the purpose of landing gear door interlocks?

• A. To prevent gear retraction unless doors are properly closed and to prevent door opening while gear is up.
• B. To lock doors during maintenance.
• C. To regulate hydraulic pressure.
• D. To indicate gear position to ground crew.

Answer: (A)

Interlocks between the landing gear and its doors enforce safe sequencing of door and gear movement. They prevent the gear from retracting unless the doors are fully closed, and they prevent doors from opening when the gear is up. This protects the gear and door surfaces from contact during motion, keeps the wheel well sealed for proper aerodynamics, and avoids drag or imbalance that could arise from an open door in flight. The system uses position sensing and hydraulic/logic control to automatically enforce the correct order: close the doors before retraction and keep them closed when the gear is retracted.