A B727-200 EXPERIENCED AN 'A' SYS HYD LEAK. THE CAPT ELECTED TO LAND WITH 30 DEGS FLAPS EXTENDED ELECTRICALLY EVEN THOUGH FLAPS 15 DEGS WOULD HAVE BEEN PROCEDURALLY CORRECT.

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DURING AN ILS RWY 1L APCH AT ARPT AT APPROX 2500 FT MSL; I NOTICED A FLICKER OF THE ELEVATOR LOW PRESSURE LIGHT. ABOUT 30 SECONDS LATER; I NOTICED ANOTHER FLICKER OF THE SAME LIGHT. I PRESSED-TO-TEST THE WARNING LIGHT; RECEIVED A VALID TEST; AND XCHKED THE HYD SYS 'A' QUANTITY GAUGE ON THE SO'S PANEL. THE 'A' SYS HYD QUANTITY READ LESS THAN .5 GALLONS. AT THIS POINT; I COMMANDED A MISSED APCH TO TAKE TIME TO RUN THE APPROPRIATE CHKLISTS; AND EVALUATE THE SIT. WE RETRACTED FLAPS TO 15 DEGS FROM 30 DEGS; LEFT THE GEAR DOWN; AND COORDINATED WITH ATC TO FLY A PATTERN WHILE WE COMPLETED OUR DUTIES. WE STILL HAD SYS 'A' HYD PRESSURE AND QUANTITY; SO WE RAN THE COMPANY 'HYD LEAK OR LOSS CHKLIST.' AFTER DETERMINING THAT THE LEAK WAS NOT IN THE SPOILER SYS; WE COMPLIED WITH THE CHKLIST AND SHUT OFF THE 'A' SYS HYD PUMPS. THE #1 'A PUMP WAS OPERATING WITH NORMAL PRESSURE. THE #2 'A' PUMP EXPERIENCED FLUCTUATIONS IN PRESSURE; AND WAS OFF. WE COMPLETED THE NORMAL IN-RANGE AND BEFORE LNDG CHKLIST; AND TOLD ATC WE WERE READY FOR THE ILS RWY 1L. AFTER INITIATING THE APCH; THE FO AS PF CALLED FOR FLAPS 30 DEGS. I POSITIONED THE HANDLE TO 30 DEGS; BUT WITH QUANTITY SO LOW; WE HAD PRESSURE FLUCTUATIONS ON THE REMAINING PUMP. I HAD THE SO SWITCH OFF THE #1 A PUMP; AND POSITIONED THE FLAPS TO 30 DEGS USING THE ALTERNATE FLAP EXTENSION SYS. BECAUSE OF THE LENGTH OF TIME REQUIRED TO EXTEND THE FLAPS VIA THE ALTERNATE FLAP MASTER SWITCH; BY THE TIME THE FLAPS WERE IN LNDG POS; WE WERE NEAR 1000 FT AGL; AND I FELT IT NECESSARY TO GO BACK FORWARD TO MONITOR THE APCH. THIS IS WHERE I MAY HAVE MADE A MISTAKE IN PROC. IF PRESSURE WAS NOT NORMAL; THE APPROPRIATE LNDG FLAP CONFIGN WOULD HAVE BEEN FLAPS 15 DEGS. AFTER LNDG THE AFT; I COULD NOT MOVE THE TILLER AND DID NOT HAVE NOSEWHEEL STEERING. THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT I MAY HAVE LANDED THE ACFT IN THE WRONG FLAP POS; BUT CAN'T SAY POSITIVELY ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. IN HINDSIGHT; WE WERE IN AN UNUSUAL POS. WE HAD AN OPERABLE 'A' SYS; BUT NOT ENOUGH SO TO DRIVE THE FLAPS TO 30 DEGS HYDRAULICALLY. AFTER COMPLETING THE HYD LEAK OR LOSS CHKLIST; WE THOUGHT WE WERE BACK TO A NORMAL SEQUENCE OF IN-RANGE AND BEFORE LNDG CHKLISTS. THIS AFFECTED MY DECISION TO LAND WITH FLAPS 30 DEGS. IN THE FUTURE; I THINK ONE MORE CIRCUIT IN A DELAY PATTERN WOULD HAVE BEEN APPROPRIATE AFTER ATTEMPTING TO LOWER THE FLAPS TO 30 DEGS HYDRAULICALLY.