Strange logic to me. In any case if the Master switch was off when discovered on the Before landing check wouldn't that mean electrical items such as fuel gauges, radios and flaps wouldn't work and the pilot would have discovered that lot much earlier in the flight?
Yeah, fair point, but I personally like to look anyways, takes an extra half a second
And if the M for Mags was off the engine would be dead? And if under "Hatches" a door was found to be already open wouldn't that have been felt and discovered a lot earlier in the flight?
Not all Mags are the same, C310 for example has toggle switches, a set for each engine, I can't imagine too many situations where you could accidently switch one off, but it could be possible and not really notice depending on your individual aircrafts setups in regards to extra mods, such as Door Seals.
And the doors might not have been noticed, wouldn't be the first time i've noticed a passenger has knocked/pulled the damned door out of the locked position, so very carefully making sure everything that could go flying around the cabin has been stowed and briefing yourself on what to do if it happens could be a lifesaver one day.
One Cessna 172 flying school in the Melbourne area also adds "Cowl Flaps not applicable" to its before take off and landing checklist. And all flying schools add "Undercarriage down and locked" when the aircraft in a fixed gear type.. for consistency should not they say Undercarriage up and locked" as the after take off check?
Personally the cowl flaps part seems fair enough, its meant to get it in your head so you remember despite what aircraft you're in. The phrase "Undercarriage Down and Locked" and being taught to say specifically that is in my opinion a trap, i've found myself earlier in my first job reciting that but not really thinking about it, now its always "Undercarriage, checked, three greens or down and welded", helps me to remember to not just recite checklists but actually check the bloody thing. And on take off in the fixed wings thats part of my check at 300feet, usually "Flaps retracted and checked, gears non-retractable".
Alot of these checks whilst seeming superflous for the aircraft your flying, will come in handy. If you're in a company where you could easily swap between 2 aircraft types 2 or 3 times, whilst these checks might not all apply on one of them they might apply to the other, its easier to go through them all than jump into Type B for the first time after flying Type A all day and forget something simple.