My favorite story in this vein is on from Middleton Wisconsin - Morey Field. A co worker back in the 1980's was a partial owner of an aircraft with retractable gear. The plane was late 50's early 60's vintage and it was clear that ergonomics were not paramount in the design of the controls in that era. A thumbwheel like control adjusted the flaps and next to it was a thumbwheel like control that lowered the gear. Another fractional share owner needed some hours to maintain proficiency so he took some friends up for a flight around Madison and the lakes. While coming in on final he announced to his passengers - don't worry about the noise you are about to hear - it's just he landing gear lowering. He reached over and rotated the thumbwheel, heard the sound of motors whirring, and proceeded to land, gear up. When the plane nearly hit the runway the props bent and then the airframe skidded down the runway to a stop, with no fire. Everyone emerged safely - and the result was a great series of photographs of this steaming pile of wreckage created when the pilot adjusted the flaps rather than lowering the gear.
Glad to know all were unharmed (other than the pilot's dignity, of course!) My dad has retractable gear planes (he does aerobatics in air shows so he doesn't go for fixed gears) and when I fly with him, we always have to check the landing gear multiple times on final approach. He's never had a belly landing, but I guess enough people have that he's compulsive about preventing it. Which is a good thing, of course!
Reminds me of the story about the Aztec doing a touch & go at Toronto City Centre. Flap switch next to gear switch. Pilot not looking when raising flaps after touchdown. Ouch.
One would think the pilot would feel the difference in lift when the flaps were adjusted.