Learning Experience

I was a bit unprepared for what happened on a beautiful winter day in 2009. It occurred on a local flight in sunny VFR conditions upon returning to Mount Pleasant Municipal Airport in central Michigan. I was flying my 1965 Piper Cherokee PA 28-180.

It had been a tough winter for GA flying in Michigan. Multiple snowstorms, ice, snow fog, low level cloud cover, high winds. We had it all. Finally, there was a break in the weather one weekend. I awoke on Sunday and realized the weather forecast for sunny VFR conditions were indeed accurate. I geared up and went to my hangar, where my preflight and engine pre-heating duties were accompanied by a welcome cup of hot coffee.

The Cherokee was all warmed up and eager to fly. The sky was clear with a mild wind from the north, northwest. I taxied to Runway 27 and went through the preflight checklist. I completed the runup and final checks on all appropriate moving parts were affirmed. With the engine purring and all the gauges telling me what they should, I was ready to roll.

It was a routine takeoff, and I had clear skies and brisk cold weather to fly. I headed northeast. Midpoint between Roscommon County Airport and West Point I got bounced around with some odd turbulence. The predicted winds were nothing strange, so I figured I had hit a pocket of some sort.

I drilled holes in the sky for an hour or so when I decided to go home. I could hear lots of chatter on the radio. Most all the local airports were busy. Everyone was happy to have a sunny Sunday for recreational flying. I noticed Mount Pleasant seemed active as well, and I knew I would have company in the pattern.

I should have been number two for landing (of three inbound) for Runway 27. It was close in terms of arrival between me and pilot number three. Because his position reports seemed somewhat vague and I was in no hurry to land, I gave him the go-ahead to land before me.

I made an extra loop southeast of the field and started an extended final at pattern altitude for the runway. After powering down it was time for the first notch of flaps. The AWOS was broadcasting an 8-knot crosswind out of the north. I was straight and level and all things were normal for the approach.

As I came near the public golf course east of the runway I was at the normal approach speed. I dropped in the second notch of flaps between 1,300 and 1,400 feet. After pulling that lever for the second notch of flaps, things hit the fan. The right wing dropped sharply and the nose went down. I was turning right in a steep descent.

I was thinking, Hey… this is not what happens on approach with a second notch of flaps! Instantly I realized that it was stupid to ask why this was happening, and pay attention to what was happening. Trying to get the nose up prompted symptoms of an upcoming stall and I realized the reduced power setting for a normal landing was not going to pull me out of this unusual occurrence.

The nose was pointed north, the right wing was dropped deeply and dramatically, and I was losing altitude when I didn’t have much altitude to spare (now between 1,100 and 1,200 feet). Realizing that the “wrong” commenced when I further engaged the flaps, I decided to withdraw the flaps.

The airplane was soft, mushy, and very squirrely. I knew I had to get the wings even and the nose straight, so I poured on the power. I was also working hard to get the wings level. Once that was accomplished I decided I needed to get back on course. Unfortunately I was no longer headed for the centerline of Runway 27. What lay before me was wooded property, an empty field, and the Mount Pleasant VOR.

I still hadn’t fully defined what had happened or what had caused my predicament. I assumed there was a system failure of some sort and I knew it was related to flap operations. I fought off my natural reaction to try a go around because the airplane was not steering properly at all and I was having a hard time maintaining controlled flight.

It took a very tricky mix of power settings, pedal work, and some firm coaxing on a very mushy yoke to try to get the Cherokee back over asphalt on Runway 27. By now I was way past the numbers. Despite being well beyond my typical touchdown point, I knew my home field and was well aware of the latitude a 5,000-foot runway allows. The runway was clear and there was no traffic behind me. I decided to land.

I was coming in very hot now, because I needed substantial speed to power up and pull out of the unusual attitude that the flap circumstance had caused. I knew this was like no other no-flap landing I had ever done. The airplane was extremely off balance and I still wasn’t sure why. If I wanted to put this airplane on the ground I needed to bleed speed while simultaneously keeping the wings level in flight.

I spoke aloud and took a deep breath. “Don’t rush this landing! Pull the nose up…catch some drag…slow down…fight those wings for level attitude.” Thankfully, I touched down on the runway centerline at about 65 mph. Indeed, there was plenty of runway left and I was happy to exit the last ramp and taxi to the fuel pumps.

When I climbed out of the airplane I realized the right wing flap was broken and had become disconnected. It was in a more than fully down/extended position. The poor Cherokee looked pretty strange sitting there with its one odd flap hanging down

I have often wondered how I would react in a crucial air adventure, and I must acknowledge that training instincts do kick in. Part of my mind wanted to analyze the flight dysfunction, but fortunately training insists that after the training kicks in it does take a continued, deliberate, and conscious choice to direct one’s thoughts toward a successful solution strategy.

If I had the chance for a do over there are things I would have adjusted and additional options I might have considered. The best question at this point is this: What would you do? Call this to the attention of your own CFI. Let’s all hope they continue to help us practice no-flap landings. But you might want to spend some time discussing the appropriate reaction(s) to a single flap failure as well.