ACFT EQUIP PROBLEM MALFUNCTION AND ACFT EQUIP OPERATING PROC CREATES AN ALTDEV. RETURN LAND.

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ON FLT ENRTE FROM ATL TO ORD; THE L #2 LEADING EDGE FLAP DID NOT RETRACT FROM FLAPS 5 DEGS TO 2 DEGS ON CLBOUT. HAD AMBER LIGHT ON FLAP INDICATOR AND AMBER LIGHT ON SO PANEL. THIS WAS AT ABOUT 1000 FT MSL AND WE WENT THROUGH THE ABNORMAL CHKLIST FOR 'LEADING EDGE FLAP LIGHT AFTER RETRACTION CHKLIST.' NOTHING WORKED. SO WENT TO VISUALLY CHK #2 LEADING EDGE FLAP. IT WAS EXTENDED. AT THIS TIME; THE CAPT TRANSFERRED CTL OF ACFT TO ME; THE FO. WE WERE PASSING 10000 FT; CLRED TO 18000 FT. CAPT CALLED MAINT AND FLT CTL AND CONFIRMED WE COULD NOT CONTINUE TO OUR DEST OF ORD. CAPT WAS NOT LISTENING TO CTR FREQ. HE TOLD ME TO GET CLRNC FOR ATL. DURING THIS TIME WE HAD BEEN CLRED TO FL230. AS WE WERE PASSING 17500 I REQUESTED LOWER AND DIRECT ATL. CTR CAME BACK WITH CLRED TO 16000 FT; L TURN; DIRECT ROME. WE HAD BEEN FLYING AT 215 KTS DUE TO FLAP PROBLEM. I STARTED A DSCNT AND A L TURN. AS PWR WAS REDUCED; WE HAD AN AUTO-PACK TRIP CONDITION. SO TURNED OFF PACKS SO HE COULD RESET SYS. FLT ATTENDANT KNOCKED ON DOOR AND CABIN ALT STARTED COMING UP. CABIN PRESSURE CAME UP TO 15000 FT. CTR GAVE ME A NEW FREQ AND NO REPLY. WENT TO EMER FREQ 121.5 AND NO REPLY; FOUND NEW FREQ ABOUT 30 SECONDS LATER. ALT HAD DSNDED TO 15500 AS I WAS DEBATING AN EMER DSCNT BECAUSE OF LOSS OF PRESSURIZATION. THE PACKS WERE TURNED ON AND PRESSURIZATION CAME BACK. CTR CLRED US TO 10000 FT; ROME ARR TO ATL. MADE UNEVENTFUL OVERWT LNDG WITHOUT DECLARING AN EMER. FLAPS WERE CYCLED; AND OPERATED NORMALLY. NO EMER WAS EVER DECLARED; ALTHOUGH CTR WAS ADVISED WE WERE EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTIES.