Narrative:

The person that was flying is a private pilot. I was giving her a climb chkout and refresher maneuvers. She had just completed a short field approach and T/D, and with the plane still rolling she selected flaps up, pushed carburetor heat off, and applied full throttle. I concentrated on her directional control, failing to verify visually that the flaps had in fact come up. The aircraft came off the runway at an unusually slow speed, approximately 45 KIAS. I told her to lower the nose and allow the plane to accelerate. As she did lower the nose, the plane would not accelerate, but instead achieved a relatively nose level attitude still at approximately 45 KIAS. Realizing there was a problem, she said there was something wrong with the feel of the plane, as I simultaneously was taking control of the craft. I immediately verified carburetor heat off, full throttle, enrichened the mixture slightly, and checked flap selector up. The plane would not accelerate and the runway that was usable was inadequate for an abort. Confronted with no usable runway, approximately 50-75' AGL altitude, 45 KIAS and rapidly rising terrain with numerous obstructions, I only remember focusing on controling the plane and avoiding a stall. I called a mayday (twice, I was later told by the other pilot, I believe there was no legible response from the tower). Looked for a place to land. I promptly came over a golf course but chose instead a field just beyond. I touched down in a controled landing west/O any damage whatsoever to the aircraft, myself, the other pilot or the field. Once stopped, I noticed flaps were fully extended. I cycled the switch and they came up. Several contributing factors: density altitude, acceptable with a functioning small aircraft, but with full flaps the small aircraft won't climb or accelerate and the terrain/obstructions quickly rise as one goes south. I estimate no more than 30 seconds elapsed from the time I took control until T/D. The particular small aircraft performs rather poorly, and it was not immediately obvious to me since I was not flying that a problem existed. At least soon enough that an abort was possible. Further flight would have resulted in terrain impact. Another factor is the malfunctioning flap switch. It was later disassembled and tested, but no obvious defect was discovered. The selector handle hides most of the indicator from view. Once airborne and uncertain of my obstacle clearance, chances I selected 10 degrees of flaps. This position was hiding the flaps 'full down' indication from my perspective. A problem that surfaced with both myself and the pilot in the left seat was that obviously neither of us were in the habit of verifying flaps position every time on the indicator. Up to this point I only did it occasionally, when making sure flaps went from 30 degrees to 10 degrees, progressing from a flap landing into a flap takeoff. How to prevent such an occurrence: being in the habit of visually verifying flap position on the flap indicator as an instrument, I will also be visually checking the flaps themselves outside.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GA SMA MADE A FORCED LNDG AFTER TKOF WITH FULL FLAPS AT A HIGH ALT ARPT.

Narrative: THE PERSON THAT WAS FLYING IS A PVT PLT. I WAS GIVING HER A CLB CHKOUT AND REFRESHER MANEUVERS. SHE HAD JUST COMPLETED A SHORT FIELD APCH AND T/D, AND WITH THE PLANE STILL ROLLING SHE SELECTED FLAPS UP, PUSHED CARB HEAT OFF, AND APPLIED FULL THROTTLE. I CONCENTRATED ON HER DIRECTIONAL CONTROL, FAILING TO VERIFY VISUALLY THAT THE FLAPS HAD IN FACT COME UP. THE ACFT CAME OFF THE RWY AT AN UNUSUALLY SLOW SPD, APPROX 45 KIAS. I TOLD HER TO LOWER THE NOSE AND ALLOW THE PLANE TO ACCELERATE. AS SHE DID LOWER THE NOSE, THE PLANE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE, BUT INSTEAD ACHIEVED A RELATIVELY NOSE LEVEL ATTITUDE STILL AT APPROX 45 KIAS. REALIZING THERE WAS A PROB, SHE SAID THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE FEEL OF THE PLANE, AS I SIMULTANEOUSLY WAS TAKING CONTROL OF THE CRAFT. I IMMEDIATELY VERIFIED CARB HEAT OFF, FULL THROTTLE, ENRICHENED THE MIXTURE SLIGHTLY, AND CHKED FLAP selector UP. THE PLANE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE AND THE RWY THAT WAS USABLE WAS INADEQUATE FOR AN ABORT. CONFRONTED WITH NO USABLE RWY, APPROX 50-75' AGL ALT, 45 KIAS AND RAPIDLY RISING TERRAIN WITH NUMEROUS OBSTRUCTIONS, I ONLY REMEMBER FOCUSING ON CTLING THE PLANE AND AVOIDING A STALL. I CALLED A MAYDAY (TWICE, I WAS LATER TOLD BY THE OTHER PLT, I BELIEVE THERE WAS NO LEGIBLE RESPONSE FROM THE TWR). LOOKED FOR A PLACE TO LAND. I PROMPTLY CAME OVER A GOLF COURSE BUT CHOSE INSTEAD A FIELD JUST BEYOND. I TOUCHED DOWN IN A CTLED LNDG W/O ANY DAMAGE WHATSOEVER TO THE ACFT, MYSELF, THE OTHER PLT OR THE FIELD. ONCE STOPPED, I NOTICED FLAPS WERE FULLY EXTENDED. I CYCLED THE SWITCH AND THEY CAME UP. SEVERAL CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: DENSITY ALT, ACCEPTABLE WITH A FUNCTIONING SMA, BUT WITH FULL FLAPS THE SMA WON'T CLB OR ACCELERATE AND THE TERRAIN/OBSTRUCTIONS QUICKLY RISE AS ONE GOES S. I ESTIMATE NO MORE THAN 30 SECS ELAPSED FROM THE TIME I TOOK CONTROL UNTIL T/D. THE PARTICULAR SMA PERFORMS RATHER POORLY, AND IT WAS NOT IMMEDIATELY OBVIOUS TO ME SINCE I WAS NOT FLYING THAT A PROB EXISTED. AT LEAST SOON ENOUGH THAT AN ABORT WAS POSSIBLE. FURTHER FLT WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN TERRAIN IMPACT. ANOTHER FACTOR IS THE MALFUNCTIONING FLAP SWITCH. IT WAS LATER DISASSEMBLED AND TESTED, BUT NO OBVIOUS DEFECT WAS DISCOVERED. THE SELECTOR HANDLE HIDES MOST OF THE INDICATOR FROM VIEW. ONCE AIRBORNE AND UNCERTAIN OF MY OBSTACLE CLRNC, CHANCES I SELECTED 10 DEGS OF FLAPS. THIS POS WAS HIDING THE FLAPS 'FULL DOWN' INDICATION FROM MY PERSPECTIVE. A PROB THAT SURFACED WITH BOTH MYSELF AND THE PLT IN THE LEFT SEAT WAS THAT OBVIOUSLY NEITHER OF US WERE IN THE HABIT OF VERIFYING FLAPS POS EVERY TIME ON THE INDICATOR. UP TO THIS POINT I ONLY DID IT OCCASIONALLY, WHEN MAKING SURE FLAPS WENT FROM 30 DEGS TO 10 DEGS, PROGRESSING FROM A FLAP LNDG INTO A FLAP TKOF. HOW TO PREVENT SUCH AN OCCURRENCE: BEING IN THE HABIT OF VISUALLY VERIFYING FLAP POS ON THE FLAP INDICATOR AS AN INSTR, I WILL ALSO BE VISUALLY CHKING THE FLAPS THEMSELVES OUTSIDE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.