Maybe this ends up being like 2014 where the +TNH dominated January and then the pattern finally retrograded into a -PNA. Not my preferred solution but at least the winter didn't bust completely.

There definitely would have been alarm bells going off left and right. Landing on a runway with a cement barrier at the end of it would be the last place I'd want to land without gear down. I'm sure we'll get some details in the near future. Extremely sad sight to see.

Maybe bird strike took out the engine that powers the landing gear? And why do you think it was deployed for #2? That looks more like damage to the cowling from the bird strike on that engine (IMO).

GFS really trending toward a bigger -NAO this run. I'm getting excited for some snow potential here.

It looks like it was deployed for the #2 engine, can't tell about #1. Though #2 apparently had a bird strike so maybe it wasn't working at all and the reversers wouldn't work either. Aviation world wondering why a bird strike would cause the landing gear to not work. Though maybe the pilots got behind the plane and forgot to deploy them. But there would be a warning that the LG wasn't deployed, at least you would think.