A JETSTREAM 4100 PIC RPT ON MAINT PROBS WITHIN THE COMPANY WHICH MAY HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH HIS FLAP RETRACTION PROB; NECESSITATING AN EMER LNDG AT IAD; VA.

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IT WAS APR/SUN/01 AND WE WERE TAKING OFF OUT OF CHARLESTON; SC AT XA37. I WAS THE CAPT AND THE PF. JUST AFTER TKOF; WE RETRACTED THE FLAPS LIKE NORMAL; BUT IT APPEARED THE FLAPS DID NOT RETRACT. WE PLACED THE FLAP SELECTOR IN THE FLAPS UP POS; BUT THE FLAP INDICATOR STILL INDICATED THE FLAPS WERE AT 9 DEGS. WE RECEIVED NO OTHER COCKPIT INDICATION; AURAL OR VISUAL; THAT THE FLAPS WERE IN A POS CONTRARY TO THE FLAP SELECTOR. I HAD MY FO RUN OUR QRH AND TRY TO LOCATE THE CORRECT PROC FOR THIS SCENARIO WHILE HAVING MY FLT ATTENDANT VISUALLY VERIFY THAT THE FLAP POS 'APPEARED TO BE AT 9 DEGS.' WE DISCOVERED THAT THERE IS NO PROC OUTLINED IN OUR REF BOOK FOR FLAPS FAILING TO RETRACT. AT THIS POINT; I CALLED MY COMPANY DISPATCH AND HAD MY FO VISUALLY CONFIRM THAT THE FLAPS WERE AT THE 9 DEG POS. DISPATCH INFORMED ME THAT THIS VERY SAME PLANE HAD THE VERY SAME PROB WITH THE PREVIOUS CREW WHO BROUGHT IT TO ME IN CHARLESTON; SC. THEY FURTHER RPTED THAT I HAD MORE THAN ENOUGH FUEL TO RETURN TO WASHINGTON; DULLES (APPROX 1 HR 20 MINS OF FUEL REMAINING WHEN I LANDED IN DULLES). THEY GAVE ME NEW ENRTE PERFORMANCE DATA AND ALSO RPTED THAT THE ONLY LIMITATION ON THE ACFT WAS A 200 KT FLAP SPD RESTR. THIS WASN'T GOING TO BE A PROB SINCE THE ACFT'S VNE IS 250 KTS ANYWAY AND THAT THE PREVIOUS CREW DIDN'T HAVE ANY PROBS FLYING IT TO CHARLESTON; SC; THIS WAY. AFTER REVIEWING THE MANUFACTURER'S OPERATING HANDBOOKS AND FINDING NO FURTHER STRUCTURAL LIMITATIONS ON THE ACFT FOR FLYING AT FLAPS 9 DEGS; I CONCURRED WITH OUR DISPATCH; MAINT CTL AND CHIEF PLT'S OFFICE DECISIONS TO RETURN TO DULLES. WHILE ENRTE TO DULLES; I HAD OUR DISPATCH RUN SOME NEW LNDG DATA FOR A FLAPS 9 DEG LNDG. I DID NOT WANT TO EXTEND THE FLAPS ANY FURTHER IN THE EVENT I NEEDED TO EXECUTE A GAR. THE FLAPS WERE STUCK AT 9 DEGS; WHICH IS THE GAR FLAP SETTING IN OUR ACFT ANYWAY. DISPATCH INFORMED ME THAT THEY WERE UNABLE TO FIGURE ANY NUMBERS FOR A FLAPS 9 DEG LNDG. I HAD MY DISPATCHER CALL THE CHIEF PLT ON DUTY AND CONFER WITH MAINT AS TO WHICH DATA THEY PREFERRED I USE. AT THE DIRECTION OF THE CHIEF PLT'S OFFICE; I ELECTED TO USE THE NEXT FASTEST SET OF APCH SPDS WHICH WERE FLAPS 0 DEG SPDS FOR THE LNDG. ONCE I ENTERED DULLES' AIRSPACE; I ELECTED TO DECLARE AN EMER AND HAVE THE EMER VEHICLES STANDING BY; JUST TO BE SAFE. I FIGURED; SINCE I DIDN'T HAVE THE CORRECT LNDG DATA AND I DIDN'T KNOW HOW THE ACFT WAS GOING TO PERFORM DURING THE LNDG; THE ONLY SAFE THING TO DO WAS TO HAVE VEHICLES AVAILABLE. DISPATCH AGREED WITH MY DECISION. WHILE ON DOWNWIND FOR THE APCH; WE RECEIVED AN ACARS MESSAGE TO CALL DISPATCH. THINKING THEY MIGHT HAVE SOME CRUCIAL INFO FOR US FOR THE LNDG; I INSTRUCTED MY FO TO CALL THEM ON THE #2 COM. HE SAID THAT DISPATCH WAS INSTRUCTED BY THE CHIEF PLT'S OFFICE TO DEMAND THAT I NOT DECLARE AN EMER. I TOLD MY FO TO TELL DISPATCH THAT IT WAS TOO LATE; THE EMER HAD ALREADY BEEN DECLARED AND THAT WE WOULD CALL THEM ON THE GND. WE PLACED THE FLAP SELECTOR IN THE FLAPS 9 DEG POS SO THE SELECTOR WOULD AGREE WITH THE INDICATION FOR THE LNDG. WE LANDED IN WASHINGTON; DULLES; SAFELY AND WITHOUT INCIDENT. ONCE SAFELY ON THE GND; I WAS INSTRUCTED BY DISPATCH TO CALL THE CHIEF PLT ON DUTY. THE CHIEF PLT INFORMED ME THAT I SHOULD NOT HAVE DECLARED AN EMER. HE WENT ON TO SAY THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN TIMES TO DECLARE AN EMER AND CERTAIN TIMES NOT TO. I TOLD HIM THAT I EXECUTED MY PIC AUTH AND THAT I KNOW THAT I DID THE RIGHT THING BY HAVING THE TRUCKS AVAILABLE. HE WENT ON TO SAY THAT HE IS GOING TO LOOK INTO WRITING A NEW CHAPTER TO OUR OPS PROCS CLRLY DEFINING WHEN IT IS AND IS NOT OK TO DECLARE AN EMER. I FIND IT DESPICABLE THAT MY COMPANY IS TAKING A STAND TO COMPLETELY UNDERMINE THE PIC'S DECISION MAKING PROCESS AND QUESTION MY JUDGEMENT IN A CASE WHERE I CLRLY ERRED ON THE SIDE OF SAFETY. I FIND IT DISTURBING THAT A PIC FACES AND SOLVES MANY PROBS IN THE COCKPIT AND THEN MUST FACE THE COMPANY AS THEIR JUDGEMENT IS SCRUTINIZED. IT SEEMS TO ME THE PROB ISN'T THAT I DECLARED THE EMER; BUT THAT I HAVE IN THE COMPANY'S EYES WAIVED A RED FLAG ALERTING THE FAA OF OUR VERY TROUBLED MAINT DEPT.