Narrative:

We were climbing out of FL360 for FL370 when we felt a vibration and a slight yaw to the right. We noticed the number 2 engine was losing power and the egt was above the red line. We had no indication of fire overheat. I was the pilot flying. I disengaged the autopilot and lowered the nose. The first officer called ATC and told them we lost an engine; we declared an emergency; got a lower altitude and a clearance back to the departure airport. The TCAS showed multiple aircraft in our vicinity. I turned on the lights for maximum visibility. At this point my primary concern was aircraft control and remaining clear of traffic. We set maximum continuous thrust and got the drift down speed from the cruise page. Once I was sure we were clear of traffic and the aircraft was stabilized in the descent; we agreed we had a severely damaged engine. We accomplished the boxed items for the engine fire/severe damage/separation/ seizure checklist. I called for the QRH and we completed the checklist. After the engine was secured and the QRH finished; the first officer briefed the flight attendants; made an announcement to the passengers; sent an ACARS message to dispatch; and called the company for a gate. We followed the QRH guidance for a single engine landing and landed uneventfully. The emergency equipment was in position and followed us to the gate. Station personnel met us at the gate and assisted the passengers with the help of the first officer and the flight attendants. I briefed the mechanic on duty. Then I called dispatch; who put me in touch with the dispatch; maintenance control; and the chief pilot. I noted an engine failure and overweight landing in the aircraft logbook. We were pulled from duty and given adequate rest before returning to work. The chief pilot's office even called me the next afternoon to make sure I was ok.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-700 had an engine fail in flight as indicated by vibration; high EGT and decreasing N1; so an emergency was declared; the QRH completed and the flight returned to the departure airport.

Narrative: We were climbing out of FL360 for FL370 when we felt a vibration and a slight yaw to the right. We noticed the Number 2 engine was losing power and the EGT was above the red line. We had no indication of fire overheat. I was the Pilot Flying. I disengaged the autopilot and lowered the nose. The First Officer called ATC and told them we lost an engine; we declared an emergency; got a lower altitude and a clearance back to the departure airport. The TCAS showed multiple aircraft in our vicinity. I turned on the lights for maximum visibility. At this point my primary concern was aircraft control and remaining clear of traffic. We set maximum continuous thrust and got the drift down speed from the Cruise page. Once I was sure we were clear of traffic and the aircraft was stabilized in the descent; we agreed we had a severely damaged engine. We accomplished the boxed items for the Engine Fire/Severe Damage/Separation/ Seizure Checklist. I called for the QRH and we completed the checklist. After the engine was secured and the QRH finished; the First Officer briefed the flight attendants; made an announcement to the passengers; sent an ACARS message to Dispatch; and called the Company for a gate. We followed the QRH guidance for a single engine landing and landed uneventfully. The emergency equipment was in position and followed us to the gate. Station personnel met us at the gate and assisted the passengers with the help of the First Officer and the Flight Attendants. I briefed the Mechanic on duty. Then I called Dispatch; who put me in touch with the Dispatch; Maintenance Control; and the Chief Pilot. I noted an engine failure and overweight landing in the aircraft logbook. We were pulled from duty and given adequate rest before returning to work. The Chief Pilot's Office even called me the next afternoon to make sure I was OK.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.