Gear lever and logic design
The Dash 8 gear lever is designed only with an uplock release switch, preventing inadvertend gear selection in case of accidentaly bumping against the lever.
Pilots have to unlock this switch at EVERY gear selection making it an automatic manoeuvre, thus eliminating that safety net. The word is out that although the Dash has weight on wheel switches on all gear, only the nose wheel weight on wheel switch is part of the gear extension/retraction logic.