Whether the story is apocryphal or not, I wouldn't know, BUT if the aircraft was going to be landed with one U/C leg unlocked and quite possibly going to fold at an awkward moment, it would have been only sensible to avoid the risk of the pilots' ejection seats "going off" unintentionally during the possible gyrations after touchdown.
During my years of sitting in "Seats bang, aircrew for the use of", there were several reports of "unwanted expulsions" after touchdown in forced landings, and if I'd been faced with putting an aircraft down wheels up, and especially if away from an airfield, I think I'd have preferred the seat(s) to be safe (though there wasn't always someone there to do that for me,and the occasion never did arise).
Last edited by Jig Peter; 8th Jan 2011 at 16:12.
Reason: Blordy unspotted typos ...