A CRJ200 ON DSCNT AT 7000 FT DECLARED AN EMER DUE TO A 'FLAP FAIL' CAUTION WHEN FLAPS SELECTED FROM 0-8 DEGS. LANDED UNEVENTFULLY.

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ON DSCNT AT APPROX 7000 FT AND 210 KIAS; A 'FLAPS FAIL' CAUTION DISPLAYED WHEN THE FLAP SELECTOR WAS MOVED FROM 0 DEGS TO 8 DEGS. I WAS THE PF. WE PERFORMED THE QRH AND ATC WAS INFORMED. APCH CLRED US TO ORBIT WHILE WE ASSESSED THE PROB. WE TOOK OUR TIME. THERE WAS NO RUSH AS WE HAD PLENTY OF FUEL AND DIVERTING WASN'T NECESSARY BECAUSE OF THE 11500 FT RWY AVAILABLE TO US AT ZZZZ. THE FLT ATTENDANT WAS NOTIFIED. I ELECTED NOT TO INFORM THE PAX OF THE PROB. THE APCH AND LNDG WOULDN'T BE DISCERNABLE TO THEM. I DIDN'T WANT TO CAUSE ANY UNDUE STRESS OR ANXIETY FOR THEM. WE ATTEMPTED TO CALL DISPATCH THROUGH ZZZ RADIO; BUT WERE TOO LOW. ZZZZ OPS WAS UNABLE TO PATCH US THROUGH TO THEM VIA THEIR FREQ. AFTER COMPLETING THE REQUIRED TASKS; I BRIEFED THE APCH. I DID NOT HESITATE TO DECLARE AN EMER WITH ATC. THE APCH WAS UNEVENTFUL. I DID GO SLIGHTLY ABOVE GS ON SHORT FINAL. MY FLARE WAS TOO EARLY. SUBSEQUENTLY THE ACFT FLOATED MORE THAN WAS DESIRED. AFTER LNDG; WE TAXIED TO THE GATE WITH CFR FOLLOWING US ALL THE WAY. I TOLD THE PAX OF THE PROB AT THE GATE. THEY COULDN'T HELP BUT NOTICE THE EMER VEHICLES SURROUNDING US. A CFR MEMBER BOARDED THE ACFT AND ASKED ABOUT OUR BRAKE TEMPS. THEY WERE NORMAL. THIS TYPE OF ABNORMAL PROC SEEMS TO BE ROUTINE FOR US; A MATTER OF 'WHEN' AND NOT 'IF' A FLAPS FAIL WILL OCCUR TO A CRJ PLT. AFTER FLYING THIS ACFT FOR 6 YRS; I FINALLY GOT MY FIRST. I KNOW OTHER PLTS WHO HAVE HAD MULTIPLE FLAP FAIL MESSAGES.