SAAB 340B ACFT. AFTER LNDG THE FLT IDLE STOP LIGHT DID NOT ILLUMINATE AND RPTR CAPT COULDN'T PWR LEVERS INTO GND IDLE. NOT ENOUGH TIME TO PULL FLT IDLE STOP OVERRIDE; SO RPTR EXECUTED A GAR. NEXT LNDG WAS UPSLOPE WITH LESS FLAP SETTING AND FLT IDLE STOP WORKED NORMALLY.

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THE DEP AND ENRTE PORTIONS OF THE FLT WERE UNEVENTFUL. THE WINDS IN MRY WERE RPTED CALM AND WE WERE CLRED FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 28L. I WAS FLYING THE ACFT. DURING THE FINAL SEGMENT OF THE APCH I SELECTED THE FLAPS TO 35 DEGS TO CREATE MORE DRAG; BECAUSE EVEN WITH THE PWR LEVERS ALL THE WAY BACK TO FLT IDLE; THE R ENG WAS STILL PRODUCING 23 PERCENT TORQUE. WE TOUCHED DOWN AT THE FLAP 35 DEG REF SPD APPROX 1500 FT DOWN THE RWY. AFTER TOUCHDOWN THE BLUE FLT IDLE STOP LIGHT DID NOT ILLUMINATE AND I COULD NOT MOVE THE PWR LEVERS INTO GND IDLE OR REVERSE. I TRIED PUSHING FORWARD ON THE YOKE IN AN ATTEMPT TO PUT MORE PRESSURE ON THE WHEELS; BUT THE LIGHT WOULD STILL NOT COME ON AND THE PWR LEVERS WOULD NOT GO INTO GND IDLE. BY THAT TIME; DUE TO THE FACT THAT IT IS A DOWN HILL SLOPING RWY AND OUR R ENG WAS STILL PRODUCING PWR. I WAS UNSURE AS TO WHETHER OR NOT WE COULD STOP ON THE RWY WITH BRAKES ONLY. I OPTED TO APPLY FULL PWR AND EXECUTE A MISSED APCH. ON THE NEXT APCH WE LANDED ON THE UPHILL SLOPING RWY 10R WITH FLAPS 20 DEGS. THE BLUE FLT IDLE STOP LIGHT CAME ON AND GND IDLE AND REVERSE PWR WERE AVAILABLE. WE TAXIED TO THE GATE WITH NO FURTHER INCIDENT. AFTER DEPLANING I NOTICED THAT THE WINDS APPEARED TO BE OUT OF THE E AT SOMEWHERE AROUND 5 KTS. I KNOW THAT PULLING THE FLT IDLE STOP OVERRIDE WOULD HAVE PROBABLY RELEASED THE PWR LEVERS ALLOWING FOR REVERSE PWR. HOWEVER; WHILE ROLLING DOWN THE RWY AT 105 KTS THERE SIMPLY WAS NOT ENOUGH TIME TO GO THROUGH THAT WHOLE THOUGHT PROCESS AND PROC; AND FURTHERMORE; HAD THE FLT IDLE STOP OVERRIDE NOT WORKED; WE WOULD HAVE HAD NO OPTIONS LEFT. ADDITIONALLY ALL OF OUR LNDG DISTANCE DATA IS PREDICATED ON AT LEAST GND IDLE BEING AVAILABLE. IN THIS CASE WE COULDN'T EVEN GET GND IDLE; AND THEREFORE THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT SLOWING AT ALL WHILE ON THE RWY. IN LIGHT OF THIS INCIDENT AND OTHER PROBS THAT I HAVE WITNESSED AND HEARD OF; I STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT THE FLT IDLE STOP IS ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS PIECES OF EQUIP THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN INSTALLED ON AN ACFT; AND THAT SOONER OR LATER SOMEONE WILL GO OFF THE END OF A RWY BECAUSE OF IT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR CAPT ATTRIBUTES SEVERAL POSSIBLE FACTORS TO THE FAILURE OF THE FLT IDLE STOP FROM FUNCTIONING NORMALLY: USE OF 35 DEG FLAPS MAY HAVE SHIFTED THE CTR OF GRAVITY FAR ENOUGH REARWARD WHICH KEPT THE ACFT WT OFF THE WHEELS TOO LONG. THE DOWN HILL SLOPE OF THE RWY; WHICH ADDED TO THE GND SPD. AGAIN; WT OFF THE WHEELS; FAULTY STRUT OR WHEEL SPIN UP SWITCH WHICH PROVIDES THE SIGNAL FOR THE FLT IDLE STOP; ENGS MISRIGGED TO A HIGHER IDLE PWR SETTING. THOUGH THE ACFT HAS A FLT IDLE STOP OVERRIDE SWITCH; RPTR SAYS THERE WASN'T ENOUGH TIME TO PULL IT. RPTR SAYS THIS FAILURE OF THE FLT IDLE STOP OCCURRED ANOTHER TIME WITHIN THE PAST FEW MONTHS. HE RECOMMENDS THAT THE PROB SHOULD FIRST BE FIXED SO THERE WON'T BE SURPRISE FAILURES OF THE FLT IDLE STOP AND; IN THE MEANTIME THE AIRLINES SHOULD TRAIN THEIR PLTS TO BE BETTER PREPARED TO USE THE OVERRIDE. TO DO THAT; HE SUGGESTS THAT THE PF HAS HIS HAND ON THE OVERRIDE ON LNDG AS WELL AS THE PNF MONITORING THE BLUE FLT IDLE STOP LIGHT AND ADVISE THE PF IMMEDIATELY OF THE LIGHT OFF; SO THE OVERRIDE CAN BE IMMEDIATELY USED. THERE ALSO HAS BEEN OTHER INCIDENTS OF MISRIGGING OF THE PWR LEVER QUADRANT WHICH MAY ALSO BE THE CAUSE.