Incident Overview
A pilot reported that during a flight, he made a "fairly rapid descent" from a cruise altitude of 10,500 feet MSL to the airport traffic pattern. During the descent, he experienced a "painful pressure" in his ears. The pilot was wearing a headset at the time.
Sequence of Events
Upon entering the traffic pattern, the pilot stated that he "forgot to lower the landing gear." He believes that the gear warning horn was sounding, but due to the combination of painful ear pressure and the muffling effect of the headset, he only heard a "faint background pulse" which he "dismissed as radio noise of some kind."
Contributing Factors
The pilot indicated that both the ear discomfort and the headset contributed to his failure to recognize the gear warning signal.