What is likely to happen if the landing gear is not deployed before landing?

When the landing gear is not deployed before landing, the most likely outcome is a gear-up landing. This situation occurs when the aircraft makes contact with the runway without the landing gear extended, leading to the underside of the aircraft (typically the belly or fuselage) making contact with the ground instead of the wheels.

A gear-up landing can cause significant damage to the aircraft as it may scrape along the runway, damaging the structure and vital components. It also poses safety risks to the aircraft’s occupants since the landing process alters significantly without the landing gear, which is designed to handle the stresses of landing.

The other options highlight scenarios that don't accurately reflect what would happen in this situation. For example, floating during landing typically occurs when a pilot is too high on approach or has a slow descent, but it will not happen due to retracted landing gear alone. The notion that the aircraft could automatically correct itself is misleading, as pilots are trained to manage landings manually, and modern aircraft do not possess the capability to autonomously rectify such a critical operation. Lastly, the claim that increased lift would occur is not valid since lift is primarily generated through airfoil design and flow, which would not be affected by the position of the landing gear.

Thus,