B737-700
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 417; Flight Crew Type 9300
Training / Qualification; Human-Machine Interface; Distraction; Confusion; Workload
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Flight Crew Executed Go Around / Missed Approach; General Maintenance Action
Aircraft; Human Factors; Manuals
On final approach and configuring for a 30 degree flap landing we were slowing with flaps 25 when I called for flaps 30 and 'Before Landing Checklist'. The First Officer moved the flap handle from 25 to 30 but the indicator stayed at 25. All other flap indications were normal. We quickly confirmed the flaps 30 position on the flap handle and tried 15 and 40 positions to fix/confirm the problem. We had a Company pilot in the jump seat and handed him the QRH and he started the 'FLAPS; TRAILING EDGE: SYMMETRICAL NON-NORMAL/NO FLAPS' Checklist. We were discussing a go-around when we got the warning; 'TOO LOW FLAPS' and executed a normal go-around. Tower was informed of the go-around but we did not declare an emergency nor did we receive traffic priority as we did a box pattern back to the landing runway. During the subsequent pattern and QRH review we realized we had moved the flap handle out of the 25 position when the QRH states; 'Flap Position ... Do Not Change'. We returned the flap handle to the 25 position; completed the QRH actions; and landed without further problems. We made a logbook entry; contacted Maintenance; they corrected the flap issue; and the aircraft was returned to service.Things happen pretty quickly during the landing phase and I was unaware that this flap problem states that the flap handle NOT be changed. There is not time to complete the QRH while on short final. I will review the QRH again to see if there are any more landing issues that have steps in them that need to be done/not done prior to the go-around and then have time to complete the QRH.
[No substantive additional information was gleaned from the secondary narrative.]
When the flaps refused to extend to the selected landing position as they were configuring for landing; the flight crew of a B737-700 initiated a go around and; in violation of the associated abnormal checklist; inadvertently operated the flap handle in response to the go around commands proper for an aircraft with properly responding flaps. They reconfigured the handle to conform to the position of the flaps and made an uneventful landing.