Narrative:

Departed rdu on runway 23R. Immediately after takeoff, flight attendant called to report loud noise and vibration from left side of aircraft. On takeoff roll and liftoff we saw no abnormalities on either engine. At leveloff at 7000 ft, we checked thoroughly all engine instruments and saw left engine fuel flow up to 2000 pounds higher than right engine with an associated faster fuel counter increase. All other indications, ie, N1, N2, egt, oil temperature, were normal. Because of poor runway conditions at rdu and a worst case scenario of a single engine landing with crosswind, we elected not to go back to rdu. We chose chs as a divert because of clear WX and good runway conditions. ATC cleared us direct to chs and we made an uneventful landing. Upon closer inspection with maintenance personnel, left engine showed signs of damage to at least first stage blades. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: first officer reporter was the PF. After snow, the flight crew landed at rdu on a shorter runway, but for departure needed the longest runway, 23R. And that runway had not been plowed, so after delaying until the runway was plowed, there was a backup of aircraft waiting to takeoff. Reporter's aircraft was #4 for takeoff and reporter believes that the aircraft taking off ahead of them broke up patches of the hard pack ice and snow on the runway, so when they were making their takeoff roll, chunks of ice and snow were ingested into the left engine. Reporter also said that the crosswind component was not within the limits of their aircraft, yet they departed knowing that. Reporter was flying and during the takeoff roll he noted what appeared to be a compressor stall and the airspeed dropped momentarily. However, it recovered and, being too late to abort, continued the takeoff. Immediately after lift-off it was evident that there was severe vibration throughout the aircraft and the flight attendants were quick to so advise. The captain elected to not shut down the engine, but to leave it at idle and they diverted to chs. Reporter says they chose not to land back at rdu because of the crosswind component. The aircraft landed uneventfully at chs, the engine inspected and found considerable damage to the front stage blades. The blades were blown out forward indicative of a serious compressor stall.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PRECEDING ACFT TAKING OFF ON SNOW ICE PACKED RWY MAY HAVE BROKEN UP PATCHES OF ICE AND SNOW. WHEN RPTR ACFT WAS ON TKOF ROLL, SUSPECTED COMPRESSOR STALL FROM FOD INGESTION OF ICE SNOW, BUT SPD TOO HIGH TO ABORT. ACFT DIVERTED BECAUSE XWIND COMPONENT AT DEP ARPT WAS OUT OF LIMITS FOR ACFT. ENG LEFT RUNNING IN IDLE AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. INSPECTION REVEALED MAJOR BLADE DAMAGE TO FRONT BLADES OF COMPRESSOR.

Narrative: DEPARTED RDU ON RWY 23R. IMMEDIATELY AFTER TKOF, FLT ATTENDANT CALLED TO RPT LOUD NOISE AND VIBRATION FROM L SIDE OF ACFT. ON TKOF ROLL AND LIFTOFF WE SAW NO ABNORMALITIES ON EITHER ENG. AT LEVELOFF AT 7000 FT, WE CHKED THOROUGHLY ALL ENG INSTS AND SAW L ENG FUEL FLOW UP TO 2000 LBS HIGHER THAN R ENG WITH AN ASSOCIATED FASTER FUEL COUNTER INCREASE. ALL OTHER INDICATIONS, IE, N1, N2, EGT, OIL TEMP, WERE NORMAL. BECAUSE OF POOR RWY CONDITIONS AT RDU AND A WORST CASE SCENARIO OF A SINGLE ENG LNDG WITH XWIND, WE ELECTED NOT TO GO BACK TO RDU. WE CHOSE CHS AS A DIVERT BECAUSE OF CLR WX AND GOOD RWY CONDITIONS. ATC CLRED US DIRECT TO CHS AND WE MADE AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG. UPON CLOSER INSPECTION WITH MAINT PERSONNEL, L ENG SHOWED SIGNS OF DAMAGE TO AT LEAST FIRST STAGE BLADES. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: FO RPTR WAS THE PF. AFTER SNOW, THE FLC LANDED AT RDU ON A SHORTER RWY, BUT FOR DEP NEEDED THE LONGEST RWY, 23R. AND THAT RWY HAD NOT BEEN PLOWED, SO AFTER DELAYING UNTIL THE RWY WAS PLOWED, THERE WAS A BACKUP OF ACFT WAITING TO TKOF. RPTR'S ACFT WAS #4 FOR TKOF AND RPTR BELIEVES THAT THE ACFT TAKING OFF AHEAD OF THEM BROKE UP PATCHES OF THE HARD PACK ICE AND SNOW ON THE RWY, SO WHEN THEY WERE MAKING THEIR TKOF ROLL, CHUNKS OF ICE AND SNOW WERE INGESTED INTO THE L ENG. RPTR ALSO SAID THAT THE XWIND COMPONENT WAS NOT WITHIN THE LIMITS OF THEIR ACFT, YET THEY DEPARTED KNOWING THAT. RPTR WAS FLYING AND DURING THE TKOF ROLL HE NOTED WHAT APPEARED TO BE A COMPRESSOR STALL AND THE AIRSPD DROPPED MOMENTARILY. HOWEVER, IT RECOVERED AND, BEING TOO LATE TO ABORT, CONTINUED THE TKOF. IMMEDIATELY AFTER LIFT-OFF IT WAS EVIDENT THAT THERE WAS SEVERE VIBRATION THROUGHOUT THE ACFT AND THE FLT ATTENDANTS WERE QUICK TO SO ADVISE. THE CAPT ELECTED TO NOT SHUT DOWN THE ENG, BUT TO LEAVE IT AT IDLE AND THEY DIVERTED TO CHS. RPTR SAYS THEY CHOSE NOT TO LAND BACK AT RDU BECAUSE OF THE XWIND COMPONENT. THE ACFT LANDED UNEVENTFULLY AT CHS, THE ENG INSPECTED AND FOUND CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE TO THE FRONT STAGE BLADES. THE BLADES WERE BLOWN OUT FORWARD INDICATIVE OF A SERIOUS COMPRESSOR STALL.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.