PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Wizz A320 at Sofia on Jan 3rd 2016, inadvertently retracted flaps on final approach
Old 24th Mar 2021, 10:28
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ShyTorque

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Join Date: Nov 2000
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This reminds of the time many years ago when I was practicing a short field landing at Ipswich airfield, in a little Cessna 150. The flap control on those aircraft was a spring loaded paddle type switch. It had to be held down against the spring to select flaps down and when the required amount of flap was reached, letting go of the switch was supposed to bring it back to the central off position, into a detent. Moving the paddle up from that detent position caused the flaps to fully retract.

As I came over the hedge I selected full flap by feel and released the paddle switch. A few seconds later, to my horror, the aircraft simply fell out of the air and landed hard, quite a bit short of where I intended.

As I recovered my composure and prepared to taxi back in I realised that the flaps were already fully retracted, hence the aircraft no longer staying airborne.

The switch detent was worn so that releasing it allowed it to flick straight through off to the retract position.
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