Flap Failures

brcase

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Jun 11, 2008
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Boise, Idaho
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Brian
Today I had my 3rd Flap failure this summer. All 172's but 3 different airplanes.

1st doing slow flight, 20 degrees flaps deployed, recovered and moved flap selector up, flaps remained at 20 degrees. Cycled the flap switch a few times and flaps finally retracted.

2nd doing Touch and Go's, 20 degrees flaps deployed, decided to do a full stop due to a 757 departing on the parallel runway. Taxiing off the runway went to retract the flaps, they did not retract, cycled flap switch and flaps extended fully but would still not retract.

3rd Today doing touch and goes with 20 degrees flaps deployed, on the go moved the selector to up but the flaps did not retract. Upon landing the flaps retracted.

In 30 years of flying and over 6000 hours I think I can still count flap failures on 1 hand but the # is climbing fast this summer.

Lessons learned...
If flaps won't retract in flight don't do anything that might make them deploy further. There is a good chance you will just end up with more flaps deployed and still not able to retract them.

Yes I like Manual flaps, but one of my previous flap failures was with a manual flap system, a fitting broke and would not allow the flaps to fully retract.

Brian
CFIIG/ASEL
 
1 on the manual vs. three for the motors. Never had a problem with manual flaps myself, and I am a big fan. I've seen too many motors burn out.
 
I've owned both. Changing cables on manual flap high wing Cessna sucks bad.
 
Yea I had that happen in a 172N. Thankfully cycling the switch worked
 
I saw in the local Mx shop a Cessna flap got jammed on a 172 and when the flap motor tried to raise it, it completely crumped the flap and rammed it into the aileron. The instructor had to land the plane with no aileron control :eek:

Atleast with manual flaps, even if it gets stuck I'll be able to recognize it and not break anything.
 
I had an inflight fire due to the flap motor in a 172...got to see the trucks roll for me on landing and everything. I have a Cherokee with manual flaps now but admittedly, it has nothing to do with the fire.
 
Had flaps fail to adjust and on another occasion had them disconnect from the control arm just after takeoff and freely flap in the breeze.
 
Cessna electric flap failures are often due to mechanics squirting oil (often LPS-2) on the flap jackscrew. It drips into the limit switches and fouls them up. Cessna's manuals tell you to wipe the screw clean and apply a small amount of No. 10 non-detergent oil on the screw with a clean rag. No spritzing.

If it's a flap presect system, the switches behind the panel get out of rig or even break sometimes.
 
Note to self. No flap landings on next Flight Review. Maybe even a go around, they are stuck down and horse it up and around the pattern.
 
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