An air carrier MD80 captain reports that his left engine ingested a seagull on takeoff.

Attributes
ACN	369336
Time
Date	199705
Day	Fri
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : lax
State Reference	LA
Altitude	agl bound lower : 250 agl bound upper : 250
Environment
Flight Conditions	Mixed
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : lax
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	MD-80 Super 80
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	Other
Flight Phase	climbout : initial other other
Route In Use	departure other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 200 flight time total : 35000
ASRS Report	369336
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical inflight encounter other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : declared emergency none taken : anomaly accepted other
Consequence	other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

On takeoff we hit a seagull on the left side with a loss of power and a vibration. We finished the after takeoff checklist and accomplished the engine failure checklist with the exception of shutting down the engine. The gear was still showing red lights, so it could have been a door. After the gear was fully retracted, the vibration continued, so I then shut down the engine. The vibration stopped and we made an uneventful landing at lax. The engine was trash. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the first officer was flying the aircraft, an air carrier MD80. The captain did not see the bird. But the first officer did and called it out as it passed the windscreen. As the gear and flaps were down, the reporter was not sure that his engine had swallowed a bird as the engine was showing no faulty indications after the throttle was reduced to idle. There was no complete blade in the front row of the engine. It 'looked like a tulip, not an engine.' there was no bird information on either the ATIS or NOTAM. The captain chose to return/land on the takeoff runway vice its reciprocal as there was a marine layer preventing a VMC approach to the reciprocal. The bird strike occurred at 250 ft AGL.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR MD80 CAPT RPTS THAT HIS L ENG INGESTED A SEAGULL ON TKOF.

Narrative: ON TKOF WE HIT A SEAGULL ON THE L SIDE WITH A LOSS OF PWR AND A VIBRATION. WE FINISHED THE AFTER TKOF CHKLIST AND ACCOMPLISHED THE ENG FAILURE CHKLIST WITH THE EXCEPTION OF SHUTTING DOWN THE ENG. THE GEAR WAS STILL SHOWING RED LIGHTS, SO IT COULD HAVE BEEN A DOOR. AFTER THE GEAR WAS FULLY RETRACTED, THE VIBRATION CONTINUED, SO I THEN SHUT DOWN THE ENG. THE VIBRATION STOPPED AND WE MADE AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG AT LAX. THE ENG WAS TRASH. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE FO WAS FLYING THE ACFT, AN ACR MD80. THE CAPT DID NOT SEE THE BIRD. BUT THE FO DID AND CALLED IT OUT AS IT PASSED THE WINDSCREEN. AS THE GEAR AND FLAPS WERE DOWN, THE RPTR WAS NOT SURE THAT HIS ENG HAD SWALLOWED A BIRD AS THE ENG WAS SHOWING NO FAULTY INDICATIONS AFTER THE THROTTLE WAS REDUCED TO IDLE. THERE WAS NO COMPLETE BLADE IN THE FRONT ROW OF THE ENG. IT 'LOOKED LIKE A TULIP, NOT AN ENG.' THERE WAS NO BIRD INFO ON EITHER THE ATIS OR NOTAM. THE CAPT CHOSE TO RETURN/LAND ON THE TKOF RWY VICE ITS RECIPROCAL AS THERE WAS A MARINE LAYER PREVENTING A VMC APCH TO THE RECIPROCAL. THE BIRD STRIKE OCCURRED AT 250 FT AGL.

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.