ppragman
FLIPY FLAPS!
it was a mistake. He went around 3 times because of wind shear and turbulence. 4th time around, forgot the gear.
This is the problem right here. If its so turbulent that I can't make it in after 3 times, I'm not going, I'm going to divert. Sorry. And I've flown through some hellacious turbulence while trying to land. If you're so taxed flying the airplane that you can't remember to drop the gear on the 4th attempt, then the mistake wasn't really in "procedural discipline," or "checklist usage." It was due to bad judgment. Sucks that he'll probably lose his job, and have a real hard time finding work right now...but, its a good learning experience.
I haven't "left the gear up," (what with flying mostly fixed gear singles throughout my feeble career thus far) but I've made plenty of mistakes that could have ended up with me dead or violated had I not caught them in time. Piss poor luck, I wish the man the best.