Narrative:

After takeoff (just a few mins after) a loud bang, bang, bang like an explosion came from the right engine. The airplane moved abruptly and light or sparks came from that right side. The whole cabin was filled immediately with a dense smoke with a film or dust with it. (Our uniforms and shoes were covered with that white dust.) I grabbed the interphone and tried to contact the cockpit crew that I knew they were busy at that time. Passenger were scared and screamed during the incident. However, all the passenger on the back of the airplane were looking at us (#4 flight attendant and me) and we told them to tighten the seatbelts that everything was 'ok' and we were waiting for instructions from the pilots. We called flight attendant #1 who immediately opened the cockpit door to inform the captain about the smoke in the cabin that they did not know about it. The captain informed passenger to please hold a min for information since they had misindication [warning] lights. We told passenger to please remain calm, remain seated and to tighten their seatbelts. We landed in ord (with a smooth landing) just 5 mins after takeoff. When the airplane came to a complete stop we were going to start evacuate/evacuation. However, even though out of my little window on the tailcone was ok: 1) the left engine was running and I did not know if we were on fire outside. 2) suddenly we were surrounded by all the rescue trucks, fire trucks and police from ord. 3) the captain informed to remain seated until we had all the rescue people checking for damage or fire outside and that the brakes were hot due to the overweight landing. The captain called and informed that the rescue people were checking conditions outside and he asked for conditions in the cabin and how passenger were doing. We informed the captain about the smell in the cabin. However, the smoke dissipated completely when we landed. The captain informed me to disarm my door since an emt was coming to check the air quality on the aircraft. Everything at that time was ok. I can tell that we spent more than 1 hour 30 mins at the end of that runway until we were going to be towed to our gate. The captain kept us and passenger informed at all times. Suddenly, captain informed that the tow bar broke and that he was going to start the left engine to taxi to our gate. He informed the customers that a new airplane was ready to go to syr. Some passenger were calmed down and some crying, girls from a school group traveling together. When we finally arrived at the gate, everybody deplaned. A lady fainted after exiting the aircraft and paramedics assisted her as well as agents meeting the flight. Somebody from flight service came on board (mr X) and just said 'I do not know what happened.' mr X was trying to escort us immediately for next departure. Cockpit crew asked us if we were ok and if we needed anything, and thanked us for a great job with the passenger and with the whole incident, to keep him informed at all times. The first officer showed us the picture of the engine affected. The engine was completely destroyed with all the blades and inside of that engine destroyed. They informed us that we probably hit a bird in-flight. We boarded the next flight and to our surprise, to make it up for the passenger, they catered us with a snack service in main cabin and a dinner or snack. Flying time was only 1 hour 11 mins and honestly we were not going to serve that meal. At the end we did it because the agents told the passenger about the food onboard. I want to close this report adding my concerns about the handling of this emergency situation: great communication and excellent coordination from the cockpit and excellent response and performance on behalf of the flight attendants. No sensitivity at all from ground personnel (when opening the door just rushing the people to the next gate). Nobody on the ground knew what was going on.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN MD80 RETURN LAND AFTER SUFFERING ENG FAILURE FROM A BIRD STRIKE, FOD, ON #2 ENG AFTER TKOF FROM ORD, IL.

Narrative: AFTER TKOF (JUST A FEW MINS AFTER) A LOUD BANG, BANG, BANG LIKE AN EXPLOSION CAME FROM THE R ENG. THE AIRPLANE MOVED ABRUPTLY AND LIGHT OR SPARKS CAME FROM THAT R SIDE. THE WHOLE CABIN WAS FILLED IMMEDIATELY WITH A DENSE SMOKE WITH A FILM OR DUST WITH IT. (OUR UNIFORMS AND SHOES WERE COVERED WITH THAT WHITE DUST.) I GRABBED THE INTERPHONE AND TRIED TO CONTACT THE COCKPIT CREW THAT I KNEW THEY WERE BUSY AT THAT TIME. PAX WERE SCARED AND SCREAMED DURING THE INCIDENT. HOWEVER, ALL THE PAX ON THE BACK OF THE AIRPLANE WERE LOOKING AT US (#4 FLT ATTENDANT AND ME) AND WE TOLD THEM TO TIGHTEN THE SEATBELTS THAT EVERYTHING WAS 'OK' AND WE WERE WAITING FOR INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE PLTS. WE CALLED FLT ATTENDANT #1 WHO IMMEDIATELY OPENED THE COCKPIT DOOR TO INFORM THE CAPT ABOUT THE SMOKE IN THE CABIN THAT THEY DID NOT KNOW ABOUT IT. THE CAPT INFORMED PAX TO PLEASE HOLD A MIN FOR INFO SINCE THEY HAD MISINDICATION [WARNING] LIGHTS. WE TOLD PAX TO PLEASE REMAIN CALM, REMAIN SEATED AND TO TIGHTEN THEIR SEATBELTS. WE LANDED IN ORD (WITH A SMOOTH LNDG) JUST 5 MINS AFTER TKOF. WHEN THE AIRPLANE CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP WE WERE GOING TO START EVAC. HOWEVER, EVEN THOUGH OUT OF MY LITTLE WINDOW ON THE TAILCONE WAS OK: 1) THE L ENG WAS RUNNING AND I DID NOT KNOW IF WE WERE ON FIRE OUTSIDE. 2) SUDDENLY WE WERE SURROUNDED BY ALL THE RESCUE TRUCKS, FIRE TRUCKS AND POLICE FROM ORD. 3) THE CAPT INFORMED TO REMAIN SEATED UNTIL WE HAD ALL THE RESCUE PEOPLE CHKING FOR DAMAGE OR FIRE OUTSIDE AND THAT THE BRAKES WERE HOT DUE TO THE OVERWT LNDG. THE CAPT CALLED AND INFORMED THAT THE RESCUE PEOPLE WERE CHKING CONDITIONS OUTSIDE AND HE ASKED FOR CONDITIONS IN THE CABIN AND HOW PAX WERE DOING. WE INFORMED THE CAPT ABOUT THE SMELL IN THE CABIN. HOWEVER, THE SMOKE DISSIPATED COMPLETELY WHEN WE LANDED. THE CAPT INFORMED ME TO DISARM MY DOOR SINCE AN EMT WAS COMING TO CHK THE AIR QUALITY ON THE ACFT. EVERYTHING AT THAT TIME WAS OK. I CAN TELL THAT WE SPENT MORE THAN 1 HR 30 MINS AT THE END OF THAT RWY UNTIL WE WERE GOING TO BE TOWED TO OUR GATE. THE CAPT KEPT US AND PAX INFORMED AT ALL TIMES. SUDDENLY, CAPT INFORMED THAT THE TOW BAR BROKE AND THAT HE WAS GOING TO START THE L ENG TO TAXI TO OUR GATE. HE INFORMED THE CUSTOMERS THAT A NEW AIRPLANE WAS READY TO GO TO SYR. SOME PAX WERE CALMED DOWN AND SOME CRYING, GIRLS FROM A SCHOOL GROUP TRAVELING TOGETHER. WHEN WE FINALLY ARRIVED AT THE GATE, EVERYBODY DEPLANED. A LADY FAINTED AFTER EXITING THE ACFT AND PARAMEDICS ASSISTED HER AS WELL AS AGENTS MEETING THE FLT. SOMEBODY FROM FLT SVC CAME ON BOARD (MR X) AND JUST SAID 'I DO NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED.' MR X WAS TRYING TO ESCORT US IMMEDIATELY FOR NEXT DEP. COCKPIT CREW ASKED US IF WE WERE OK AND IF WE NEEDED ANYTHING, AND THANKED US FOR A GREAT JOB WITH THE PAX AND WITH THE WHOLE INCIDENT, TO KEEP HIM INFORMED AT ALL TIMES. THE FO SHOWED US THE PICTURE OF THE ENG AFFECTED. THE ENG WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED WITH ALL THE BLADES AND INSIDE OF THAT ENG DESTROYED. THEY INFORMED US THAT WE PROBABLY HIT A BIRD INFLT. WE BOARDED THE NEXT FLT AND TO OUR SURPRISE, TO MAKE IT UP FOR THE PAX, THEY CATERED US WITH A SNACK SVC IN MAIN CABIN AND A DINNER OR SNACK. FLYING TIME WAS ONLY 1 HR 11 MINS AND HONESTLY WE WERE NOT GOING TO SERVE THAT MEAL. AT THE END WE DID IT BECAUSE THE AGENTS TOLD THE PAX ABOUT THE FOOD ONBOARD. I WANT TO CLOSE THIS RPT ADDING MY CONCERNS ABOUT THE HANDLING OF THIS EMER SIT: GREAT COM AND EXCELLENT COORD FROM THE COCKPIT AND EXCELLENT RESPONSE AND PERFORMANCE ON BEHALF OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS. NO SENSITIVITY AT ALL FROM GND PERSONNEL (WHEN OPENING THE DOOR JUST RUSHING THE PEOPLE TO THE NEXT GATE). NOBODY ON THE GND KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON.

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.