Narrative:

Subject: exercise of emergency authority/authorized. On final to landing; upon selecting flaps 15 degrees; the automatic slat fail light illuminated steady. Informed approach control that we will most likely need to abort our landing. Approach not cooperative and instructed us to contact tower. I declared an emergency and requested a go around in order to ascertain and evaluate the safety of the aircraft for the landing confign. After completing the QRH procedures and all remaining checklists; the aircraft landed safely and uneventfully. Normal taxi to gate with a write-up after parking checklist.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MD80 EXPERIENCED FAILURE OF THE AUTO SLAT SYSTEM WHILE ON APCH. GAR WAS CONDUCTED AND FLT RETURNED FOR EMER LNDG.

Narrative: SUBJECT: EXERCISE OF EMER AUTH. ON FINAL TO LNDG; UPON SELECTING FLAPS 15 DEGS; THE AUTO SLAT FAIL LIGHT ILLUMINATED STEADY. INFORMED APCH CTL THAT WE WILL MOST LIKELY NEED TO ABORT OUR LNDG. APCH NOT COOPERATIVE AND INSTRUCTED US TO CONTACT TWR. I DECLARED AN EMER AND REQUESTED A GAR IN ORDER TO ASCERTAIN AND EVALUATE THE SAFETY OF THE ACFT FOR THE LNDG CONFIGN. AFTER COMPLETING THE QRH PROCS AND ALL REMAINING CHKLISTS; THE ACFT LANDED SAFELY AND UNEVENTFULLY. NORMAL TAXI TO GATE WITH A WRITE-UP AFTER PARKING CHKLIST.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 2009 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.