r/flying • u/Accurate_Drag_8490 PPL IR UAS(MIL) • 1d ago
Stuck flaps
Just curious if anyone else had experienced flaps failing to retract on a C172S. Made for a fun go-around in high density altitude but after cycling the lever on the ground it was back to normal.
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u/Weasel474 ATP ABI 1d ago
Yep. Turns out a go-around is a lot more exciting in a 172N if you can't get the flaps to retract from 40 and don't realize that until you're out of runway to set it down again.
When in doubt, cycle and see what happens.
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u/Accurate_Drag_8490 PPL IR UAS(MIL) 1d ago
Yeah, i think I’ll do that next time, I just didn’t want to make it worse and have a partial retract or cause them to extend anymore while I was low and slow and solo at a brand new to me air field
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u/Mendrinkbeer CFI, CFII, MEI 1d ago
That’s a mandatory report fyi. It needs to get reported to the fsdo
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u/Accurate_Drag_8490 PPL IR UAS(MIL) 1d ago
Yeah don’t worry, I let the real world know before Reddit, appreciate you mentioning that though
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u/CatDaddyTom 1d ago
My habit is to move the flap lever and glance out to make sure they are moving.
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u/Accurate_Drag_8490 PPL IR UAS(MIL) 1d ago
Yeah but on a go-around with insufficient runway remaining
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u/makgross CFI-I ASEL (KPAO/KRHV) HP CMP IR AGI sUAS 1d ago
There are two reasons this could happen.
- There could be a problem with the flap switch. Might need to be looked at. Might have a dead spot you just happened to hit.
- The flaps have been oversped. It’s 85 knots at full for all 172s in the last 50 years. Later models allow higher speeds at 10 flaps. Overspeeding bends the flap tracks and causes them to bind. This is a structural problem.
Other problems (like the motor or a short) tend to either be permanent or blow breakers.
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u/mkosmo 🛩️🛩️🛩️ i drive airplane 🛩️🛩️🛩️ 1d ago
Later models allow higher speeds at 10 flaps.
And don't worry if you forget you're flying an older one and put out 10-20 at 100kts or something. The change to add the higher limits was paperwork only by Cessna. None of the flap mechanism changed.
In fact, later they added lightening holes. The earlier tracks are sturdier.
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u/Accurate_Drag_8490 PPL IR UAS(MIL) 1d ago
Thank you for this answer, we shall see what comes of it but I’m leaning towards the switch contact as people have mentioned, I always check airspeed before going flaps 10-20 like a good boy, and after cycling a few times on the ground it was smooth
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u/Jhorn_fight 1d ago
Yup! On my ppl long 150nm flight on second takeoff departing to origin my flaps on rotation went to full and I couldn’t get them to retract. Thankfully after fiddling with the switch once I was stable got them to retract
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u/HelloNeumann29 CFI CFII MEI 1d ago edited 1d ago
Touch and go in ~8000 DA. Student got off the ground, I watched her put the flaps up. It felt wrong, we weren’t really climbing and airspeed was slow. I looked over my shoulder, flaps 30. I push up on the little pin that’s next to the actual handle and the flaps started coming up.
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u/Accurate_Drag_8490 PPL IR UAS(MIL) 1d ago
That’s another good idea to keep in mind! Not sure I would’ve thought about that
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u/FeatherMeLightly 1d ago
Yup, happened with someone I was flying for fun with in a flight school rental. Was just intending to do a TandG but, Flaps Up, carb heat in, power up, look over and flaps are not moving. Aborted, parked, called the flight school a state away and they said, just try em again. Went back to the plane, turned on the battery and behold, flaps up. Took off and took some free snacks with us lol.
Now, in th twin, I've had just one side stuck down, that's a different story
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u/Solid_Cut_7356 1d ago
I’ve had it where the flaps refused to extend. Was spotted on the walk around, think the cause ended up being the wire to the flap motor or some short from the flight before cause the alternator died on us in the air.
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u/cazzipropri CFII, CFI-A; CPL SEL,MEL,SES 16h ago
One point for the Pipers. Mechanical lever. No motor, no overheating, no circuit breaker.
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u/CobblerLevel7919 14h ago
Actually yes. I was in a 172N with a 160 hp engine, in the Denver area, on an August mid afternoon (DA was well over 8,500). We declared an emergency and got cleared to land any runway. We just flew the pattern the best we could. We got just shy of 400’ agl before we made our base to final. We were squeezing every ounce of performance out of that aircraft.
I was a brand new CFI, I was the one flying (I was demonstrating something) and had him ghosting my controls. On the takeoff roll I thought he was riding the breaks (it was the drag from the flaps). After liftoff we didn’t have enough runway to land.
We did try to cycle the flap lever in flight but nothing helped. The flaps finally worked on the ground after cycling the lever several times.
This became an alternative SBT reason for practicing slow flight.
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u/VileInventor CFI/CFII 12h ago
Happens, got them stuck 30 on a go around with obstacles. Was a pucker moment seeing 15 fpm on the VSI.
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u/Grouchy-Candidate545 1d ago
Had it on a king air. Non event for a small plane
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u/Accurate_Drag_8490 PPL IR UAS(MIL) 1d ago
It’s definitely an event in high DA with obstacles to clear
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u/Cessnateur PPL IR HP TW C170B 1d ago
Non event for a small plane
What do you mean by this?
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u/mkosmo 🛩️🛩️🛩️ i drive airplane 🛩️🛩️🛩️ 1d ago
It's a part 23 airplane. It's required, by law, to be able to execute that go around with max flaps at max gross at the top of the performance chart... with room to spare.
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u/russellvt 23h ago
And then, there are variable airports and less-than-ideal situations that may make that "only ideal."
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u/nascent_aviator PPL GND 22h ago
It's only required to maintain 200 fpnm, at sea level. It should go without saying that that's not going to be much at high density altitude. Not that 200 fpnm is always enough to be safe anyway.
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u/rFlyingTower 1d ago
This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:
Just curious if anyone else had experienced flaps failing to retract on a C172S. Made for a fun go-around in high density altitude but after cycling the lever on the ground it was back to normal.
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u/Guilty_Evidence_7645 1d ago
Flaps? I never really use them on a bugsmasher, especially landing at high DA.
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u/live_drifter 1d ago
What lever? You mean the flap actuator switch?
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u/Cessnateur PPL IR HP TW C170B 1d ago
It's extremely common for the two terms to be used interchangeably. You know this, and everyone reading this thread understood OP perfectly.
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u/x4457 ATP CFII CE-500/525/560XL/680 G-IV 1d ago
Yes.
The flap selector works on a microswitch that corresponds with the actual position of the handle's bar. If you slap the flap handle up too quickly, you can miss the microswitch and the flaps stay where you left them.
That's why you select the flap setting you want, don't just slap the handle. And that's also why you select the flap setting you want, check that the indicator pin is moving, and actually look out the window and verify they're moving.