Narrative:

Aircraft departed runway 17 pns. Upon rotation, numerous bird strikes upon aircraft. Burning smell noted through air- conditioning system. Return to airport initiated and tower notified. Aircraft made right circuit and landed runway 17. Upon inspection, a total of 25 separate bird strikes noted, including at least one into each engine's fan section. Extensive personal and telephone conversations made with maintenance department as well as contract maintenance personnel. Upon arrival at company maintenance, all 3 mechanics were thoroughly briefed on observed damage. All maintenance paperwork to be handled by maintenance department. Supplemental information from acn 346161: I was the first officer on a B737-300. In the course of notifying all persons involved (company, ATC, fire department, and passenger), a logbook entry of the bird strike was never made. The purpose of this report, I feel, is to point out how it is possible to forget a logbook entry after an air return. I was flying the aircraft and felt no change in attitude during the initial climb out. No adverse indications were displayed on any of the engine instruments. We requested the airport emergency equipment to be on hand. The captain landed the aircraft and we taxied to the gate with no further abnormalities. At this time we were inundated with what seemed like unending clerical duties and phone calls to be completed. The captain and I inspected the aircraft for damage. There was no maintenance available and had to be summoned by the company (contract maintenance is utilized at this station). We found 2 fan blades in the left engine that had been bent beyond what we felt was safe to operate and then went about to inform everyone else of this situation. At this point, the gate agents wanted to find out if we could continue the flight, the passenger wanted to know the same, the tower wanted us to contact them over the phone for further details on the air return, houston operations and maintenance wanted further details of the damage and a picture faxed to them, and the captain was formulating his irregularity report. Needless to say, both of us were very, very busy. Taking care of all of these duties transpired over the next 2 or 3 hours. It turns out that after all of these events were finished, the entry into the aircraft logbook was neglected. As far as determining what I have learned from this, I feel that the logbook should be taken care of first. Perhaps the crew should put the rest of the concerned personnel further down the list of items to be completed. There is no way anyone could have operated the damaged aircraft due to our oversight since we were basically guarding it until our maintenance arrived.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR B737-300 CHOSE TO RETURN LAND AFTER MULTIPLE BIRD STRIKES ON TKOF. ACFT DAMAGE ENG FAN BLADES BENT. DIVERSION TO ALTERNATE. LOGBOOK ENTRY NOT MADE, ERROR ADMITTED. EMER DECLARED.

Narrative: ACFT DEPARTED RWY 17 PNS. UPON ROTATION, NUMEROUS BIRD STRIKES UPON ACFT. BURNING SMELL NOTED THROUGH AIR- CONDITIONING SYS. RETURN TO ARPT INITIATED AND TWR NOTIFIED. ACFT MADE R CIRCUIT AND LANDED RWY 17. UPON INSPECTION, A TOTAL OF 25 SEPARATE BIRD STRIKES NOTED, INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE INTO EACH ENG'S FAN SECTION. EXTENSIVE PERSONAL AND TELEPHONE CONVERSATIONS MADE WITH MAINT DEPT AS WELL AS CONTRACT MAINT PERSONNEL. UPON ARR AT COMPANY MAINT, ALL 3 MECHS WERE THOROUGHLY BRIEFED ON OBSERVED DAMAGE. ALL MAINT PAPERWORK TO BE HANDLED BY MAINT DEPT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 346161: I WAS THE FO ON A B737-300. IN THE COURSE OF NOTIFYING ALL PERSONS INVOLVED (COMPANY, ATC, FIRE DEPT, AND PAX), A LOGBOOK ENTRY OF THE BIRD STRIKE WAS NEVER MADE. THE PURPOSE OF THIS RPT, I FEEL, IS TO POINT OUT HOW IT IS POSSIBLE TO FORGET A LOGBOOK ENTRY AFTER AN AIR RETURN. I WAS FLYING THE ACFT AND FELT NO CHANGE IN ATTITUDE DURING THE INITIAL CLBOUT. NO ADVERSE INDICATIONS WERE DISPLAYED ON ANY OF THE ENG INSTS. WE REQUESTED THE ARPT EMER EQUIP TO BE ON HAND. THE CAPT LANDED THE ACFT AND WE TAXIED TO THE GATE WITH NO FURTHER ABNORMALITIES. AT THIS TIME WE WERE INUNDATED WITH WHAT SEEMED LIKE UNENDING CLERICAL DUTIES AND PHONE CALLS TO BE COMPLETED. THE CAPT AND I INSPECTED THE ACFT FOR DAMAGE. THERE WAS NO MAINT AVAILABLE AND HAD TO BE SUMMONED BY THE COMPANY (CONTRACT MAINT IS UTILIZED AT THIS STATION). WE FOUND 2 FAN BLADES IN THE L ENG THAT HAD BEEN BENT BEYOND WHAT WE FELT WAS SAFE TO OPERATE AND THEN WENT ABOUT TO INFORM EVERYONE ELSE OF THIS SIT. AT THIS POINT, THE GATE AGENTS WANTED TO FIND OUT IF WE COULD CONTINUE THE FLT, THE PAX WANTED TO KNOW THE SAME, THE TWR WANTED US TO CONTACT THEM OVER THE PHONE FOR FURTHER DETAILS ON THE AIR RETURN, HOUSTON OPS AND MAINT WANTED FURTHER DETAILS OF THE DAMAGE AND A PICTURE FAXED TO THEM, AND THE CAPT WAS FORMULATING HIS IRREGULARITY RPT. NEEDLESS TO SAY, BOTH OF US WERE VERY, VERY BUSY. TAKING CARE OF ALL OF THESE DUTIES TRANSPIRED OVER THE NEXT 2 OR 3 HRS. IT TURNS OUT THAT AFTER ALL OF THESE EVENTS WERE FINISHED, THE ENTRY INTO THE ACFT LOGBOOK WAS NEGLECTED. AS FAR AS DETERMINING WHAT I HAVE LEARNED FROM THIS, I FEEL THAT THE LOGBOOK SHOULD BE TAKEN CARE OF FIRST. PERHAPS THE CREW SHOULD PUT THE REST OF THE CONCERNED PERSONNEL FURTHER DOWN THE LIST OF ITEMS TO BE COMPLETED. THERE IS NO WAY ANYONE COULD HAVE OPERATED THE DAMAGED ACFT DUE TO OUR OVERSIGHT SINCE WE WERE BASICALLY GUARDING IT UNTIL OUR MAINT ARRIVED.

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.