CRJ-200 FLT CREW HAS A FLAP/HYD SYSTEM MALFUNCTION DURING APCH; DECLARES EMER AND LANDS.

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PREFLT AND PAX LOADING WENT WITHOUT INCIDENT; BUT ON THE BEFORE TKOF CHKLIST; HYD SYS #3 QUANTITY WAS INDICATING AT 40%. I CONTACTED MAINT AND THEY ASKED US TO RUN THE AIRPLANE FOR A FEW MINS; HOPING THAT THE INCREASE IN TEMP WOULD HELP THE FLUID EXPAND; THUS RAISING THE LEVEL. AFTER ABOUT 10 MINS; TEMPS STABILIZED; BUT THE QUANTITY IN THE RESERVOIR REMAINED LOW. I BRIEFED THE PAX ABOUT THE NATURE OF THE PROB AND WE RETURNED TO THE GATE. I AGAIN CALLED MAINT; TALKING TO THEM ABOUT THE PROB. I EXPRESSED MY CONCERN ABOUT THE LOW FLUID LEVEL. AS THE PLANE HAD FLOWN EARLIER THAT DAY; I HAVE TO ASSUME THAT THE LEVEL IN SYS #3 WAS IN THE GREEN PRIOR TO THAT FLT. DURING THE POSTFLT WALKAROUND; THERE WAS RESIDUAL FLUID ALL OVER THE ACFT; BUT WE AS A CREW WERE UNSURE IF IT WAS HYD FLUID OR GLYCOL. I FELT THAT THERE WAS PROBABLY A LEAK SOMEWHERE IN THE SYS; AS THE FLUID DOESN'T SIMPLY DISAPPEAR. UNFORTUNATELY; THE ARPT DOESN'T HAVE THE MAINT ITEMS TO FIX THIS PROB; SO THE FLTS WERE CANCELED. WE WERE TOLD THAT THE NEEDED ITEMS WERE BEING DRIVEN TO THE ARPT. AT ABOUT XA30 SOMEONE SHOWED UP WITH THE UNIT THAT SVCS THE HYDS; AND SYS #3 WAS SVCED UNTIL THE QUANTITY WAS IN THE NORMAL RANGE. THE WRITE UP REGARDING LOW LEVEL WAS SIGNED OFF AS BEING SVCED BY THE ON FIELD LCL MECH. WE WERE THEN TO OPERATE A FLT WITH THE SAME ACFT. ON VECTORS TO APCH; THE FO ASKED FOR FLAPS 8 DEGS AND WHEN SELECTED; WE IMMEDIATELY RECEIVED A FLAPS FAIL CAUTION MESSAGE. AN EMER WAS DECLARED; AND THE QRH COMPLETED. I ELECTED TO PERFORM THE FLAPS ZERO LNDG; AS WINDS WERE 300 DEGS AT 25 KTS GUSTING 35 KTS WITH LOW LEVEL WINDSHEAR IN THE AREA. PAX AGAIN WERE BRIEFED AND THE LNDG WAS WITHOUT INCIDENT. ONCE AT THE GATE; MAINT WAS AGAIN CALLED. WE NOTICED THAT; UPON TERMINATING THE ACFT; HYD SYS #3 HAD DROPPED FROM 60% TO 50% AT THE GATE. DURING THE COURSE OF THE POSTFLT WALK; THE FO DISCOVERED WHAT HE SUSPECTED WAS HYD FLUID BEHIND THE L MAIN WHEEL WELL. 2 WRITE-UPS WERE ENTERED IN THE ACFT LOGBOOK; ONE FOR THE FLAPS FAIL; AND ONE FOR A SUSPECT HYD LEAK.