my first catastrophic failure

[briansommers]

So, I'm doing some m/p with my group last Saturday and I'm 80 KIAS, left base for final

and my plane when nutso and plummeted and flipped and twirled and finally came to a rest.
I opened up the shop and it said that I had the left flap actuator fail and break. There was no way I could recover at all.

Is this the luck of the draw or what did I do?

I thought I might have been extending my flaps to fast but I checked the manual and it says that I can lower flaps 10 at 140.
I'm wondering if I went above 100 at times with full flaps, that would stress them wouldn't it?

Any insight into this would be helpful. Not a real-world pilot but I take my flight simming as seriously as I can.

[LZ-WIL]

Hello briansommers,

That is nasty, I believe every frequent flyer here in the forums has experienced it. Have you made preflight walk around before the flight? I had a similar experience in my 172, a flap failure.
It is very challenging and it always takes you by surprise. In my case I knew since it was marked for service in the hangar, but I left it for the next airport. I flew in a very unstable and windy weather when it happened, but I managed to get down in one piece.

Here is the thread from that accidental flight.

--
Vladi

[briansommers]

Yes, I did my full complete walk around but nothing showed up.

My joystick was useless, nothing I did had any effect on anything.

[Caldemeyn]

Rudder is your friend

[Oracle427]

The last time this happened to me the only choice I had was to retract the flaps to remove the control imbalance.

Neither rudder, or aileron were going to overcome the problem. As soon as I retracted flaps control was regained. I had a couple of thousand feet to figure it out as I was doing an approach, but I dove into a spiral almost immediately.

On base to final I'd say you were pretty much out of luck unless you instantly retracted the flaps as soon as you noticed the issue.

The maintenance hangar said a broken flap actuator for me as well. I think it's just A2A keeping us on our toes.

[Ron Attwood]

I was there. I saw the whole thing. It was sheer bloody incompetance. We were all giving him expert advice but would he listen? No. Mr 'I know best Sommers'. I wouldn't mind but his name is already down in the book.

[Lewis - A2A]

I was there. I saw the whole thing. It was sheer bloody incompetance. We were all giving him expert advice but would he listen? No. Mr 'I know best Sommers'. I wouldn't mind but his name is already down in the book.

LMFAO! Now thats a good Christmas laugh.

Seriously though it can be just a rare failure, these things can and do happen in the sim as in reality. It can also be something you missed at pre-flight that came back to bite you.

thanks,
Lewis - A2A

[Ron Attwood]

I was there. I saw the whole thing. It was sheer bloody incompetance. We were all giving him expert advice but would he listen? No. Mr 'I know best Sommers'. I wouldn't mind but his name is already down in the book.

LMFAO! Now thats a good Christmas laugh.

Seriously though it can be just a rare failure, these things can and do happen in the sim as in reality. It an also be something you missed at pre-flight that came back to bite you.

thanks,
Lewis - A2A

Lewis, I'll bet a penny to a pinch of **** he's never done a walkround in his life! Come to think of it...neither have I. Not since the early days anyway. Besides, unexpected fault in the flying area is good for the circulation.

[MkIV Hvd]

I was there. I saw the whole thing. It was sheer bloody incompetance. We were all giving him expert advice but would he listen? No. Mr 'I know best Sommers'. I wouldn't mind but his name is already down in the book.

LMFAO! Now thats a good Christmas laugh.

Seriously though it can be just a rare failure, these things can and do happen in the sim as in reality. It an also be something you missed at pre-flight that came back to bite you.

thanks,
Lewis - A2A

Lewis, I'll bet a penny to a pinch of **** he's never done a walkround in his life! Come to think of it...neither have I. Not since the early days anyway. Besides, unexpected fault in the flying area is good for the circulation.

Ron, you are a very ... unique individual LMAO!! Re: walkaround...once you've seen one...

[Ron Attwood]

See what you've started now Brian? I'll have to go to the PBR thread to calm down.

[briansommers]

Ahhh now I get it. I just bought me a new 182 so I’ll be in the air soon so look out.

[Ron Attwood]

Ahhh now I get it. I just bought me a new 182 so I’ll be in the air soon so look out.

Oh God! Head for the shelters!