A United Airlines Boeing 757
flying from Denver, CO, to Lihue, HI, faced a flap issue on final approach, resulting in a go-around. The issue was fixed on the subsequent approach, and the aircraft landed without incident.
Stuck flaps
United Airlines
Flight 2307 offers nonstop service from Denver International Airport
(DEN) to Lihue Airport (LIH) using a Boeing 757-200
(registration N21108). All was well during the 9,150-mile flight until the aircraft was on final approach into LIH.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
According to The Aviation Herald, the aircraft experienced a flap
issue, with the flaps getting stuck at 15 degrees, which is three stops above the takeoff flaps, which is 30 degrees. As a result, the crew was fast and opted to go around and troubleshoot the issue.
According to ADS-B data from Flight Aware, the aircraft went around and repositioned for another approach, during which the crew announced to the passengers that the problem had been solved. The crew initiated the go-around seven hours and 43 minutes into the flight. The aircraft climbed from 1,200 ft to 4,000 ft while it completed the circuit and troubleshooting.
Photo: Flight Aware
As a precaution, emergency services were waiting for the aircraft on standby for any potential brake fires. The aircraft landed around 20 minutes after the initial go-around and did so without any issues. Upon landing, the services checked the brakes before the aircraft taxied to the gate with the flaps in the landing position.
Simple Flying has contacted the airline for a statement.
About the aircraft
The aircraft with the flap issue is a 30.12-year-old Boeing 757-200. It was produced at Boeing’s Renton facility and is equipped with two Rolls-Royce RB211 turbofan engines. The aircraft is configured with 16 business class seats, 42 economy plus seats, and 118 economy seats for a total of 176 seats.
Photo: Robin Guess | Shutterstock
Continental Airlines first ordered the aircraft in October 1990 and delivered it in November, four years later. It has been part of United’s fleet since its merger with Continental.
According to data from ch-aviation, the aircraft has accumulated 102,321 total flight hours and 24,484 total flight cycles as of June this year. United puts about 3,400 hours on the aircraft every year.
Since the aircraft is quite old, issues tend to be more likely. However, the aircraft will only be in service for roughly another year. ch-aviation shows that the minimum retirement date for the aircraft is December 2025.
Boeing 787-9
Dreamliners will replace these older widebody aircraft. United is waiting for Boeing
to fulfill its outstanding order of 149 aircraft.
Why are flaps important?
The wings of modern jetliners are designed for cruise performance and, therefore, are optimized for transonic flight. As a result, they perform poorly at low speeds. To improve performance at low speeds, the wing’s profile has to change.
Photo: Wirestock Creators | Shutterstock
Aircraft use flaps, namely Fowler flaps, which move backward and downwards, to increase the wing’s surface area to create more lift while simultaneously increasing drag to slow the aircraft down.
Without flaps, an aircraft’s approach speed would be much higher, requiring much longer runways and more powerful brakes.
Related
How Aircraft Flaps Work: A Brief Guide
Flaps help make flying safer and more efficient.