Which of the following describes one of the conditions in which the landing gear aural warning cannot be silenced?

• A. SLAT/FLAP lever in the 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 position with radio altitude below 700 ft AGL and thrust lever below a mid-range position
• B. SLAT/FLAP lever in landing position (5 or FULL) regardless of thrust lever position and radio altitude
• C. SLAT/FLAP lever in 5 or FULL with high thrust
• D. SLAT/FLAP lever in 0-4 with radio altitude above 700 ft and thrust above mid-range

Answer: (A)

The warning system is built to keep you alert when the airplane is not yet configured for a safe landing, especially as you get close to the ground. There are protections that prevent silencing the landing gear warning in certain critical combinations of flap position, altitude, and thrust, so you’re forced to address the configuration rather than mute the alert.

In this scenario, the flaps/slats are not in the landing configuration (they’re in intermediate positions), you’re below 700 feet radio altitude, and the thrust levers are not in a high, go-around setting. That particular mix signals that you’re on approach but not yet configured for landing, and you’re very close to the ground. Because of that, silencing the warning would be unsafe, so the system prevents silencing until you either extend the flaps to the landing setting, lower the gear, or increase thrust for a go-around if needed.

If you were in full landing flaps, or if you were high enough with thrust in a go-around range, the warning would not be protected in the same way and silencing would be permitted. Similarly, with intermediate flap settings but above 700 ft and with thrust well above mid-range, the alert isn’t locked in the same way because there’s time and power to safely configure for landing.