Narrative:

On departure from atlanta, climbing out passing FL180, the left engine oil strainer clog message on the overhead annunciator panel illuminated. The aircraft was in the process of leveling off and the throttles were retarding from climb power. As the power came back the message went out. 10 seconds later the message reilluminated. We followed the oil strainer clog in flight procedure in our pilots operating manual. The oil strainer clog light would not extinguish following this procedure. The pilots operating manual then referred us to the engine failure/shutdown/damage checklist on page 6 of power plant section. In accordance with this we shut down the left engine while diverting back to atlanta hartsfield (atl). We elected and coordinated a landing on the longest available runway 27R. Emergency equipment was requested and standing by. Priority handling was requested and received. An emergency was declared immediately after the message on the overhead annunciator came back on. An uneventful approach and landing took place. The aircraft then taxied back to the gate under its own power.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACFT EQUIP PROB. L ENG OIL STRAINER CLOG MESSAGE ANNUNCIATED ON PANEL. AFTER BOOK PROCS FOLLOWED AND THE MESSAGE STILL ON, THE ENG WAS SHUT DOWN, EMER DECLARED AND ACFT RETURNED TO DEP ARPT.

Narrative: ON DEP FROM ATLANTA, CLBING OUT PASSING FL180, THE L ENG OIL STRAINER CLOG MESSAGE ON THE OVERHEAD ANNUNCIATOR PANEL ILLUMINATED. THE ACFT WAS IN THE PROCESS OF LEVELING OFF AND THE THROTTLES WERE RETARDING FROM CLB PWR. AS THE PWR CAME BACK THE MESSAGE WENT OUT. 10 SECONDS LATER THE MESSAGE REILLUMINATED. WE FOLLOWED THE OIL STRAINER CLOG IN FLT PROC IN OUR PLTS OPERATING MANUAL. THE OIL STRAINER CLOG LIGHT WOULD NOT EXTINGUISH FOLLOWING THIS PROC. THE PLTS OPERATING MANUAL THEN REFERRED US TO THE ENG FAILURE/SHUTDOWN/DAMAGE CHKLIST ON PAGE 6 OF PWR PLANT SECTION. IN ACCORDANCE WITH THIS WE SHUT DOWN THE L ENG WHILE DIVERTING BACK TO ATLANTA HARTSFIELD (ATL). WE ELECTED AND COORDINATED A LNDG ON THE LONGEST AVAILABLE RWY 27R. EMER EQUIP WAS REQUESTED AND STANDING BY. PRIORITY HANDLING WAS REQUESTED AND RECEIVED. AN EMER WAS DECLARED IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE MESSAGE ON THE OVERHEAD ANNUNCIATOR CAME BACK ON. AN UNEVENTFUL APCH AND LNDG TOOK PLACE. THE ACFT THEN TAXIED BACK TO THE GATE UNDER ITS OWN PWR.

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.