Narrative:

Takeoff from fll was normal and we were climbing out northbound through about 4000 ft MSL when 2 loud explosive sounding bangs were heard and felt throughout the aircraft. My (captain) first inclination was that it was a compressor stall, but both engine's indications were perfectly underneath us. This made me suspect that possibly the nosewheel tires had exploded. About that time the flight attendant seated on the aft jump seat called to inquire as to what the problem was. I asked him where it sounded like to him the bangs came from, he said they sounded to him as if they had emanated from the right rear of the aircraft. We then advised ATC we might have a problem and wanted to level off at 10000 ft while continuing northbound while we sorted it out and conferred with the company. At this point we felt that it was not compressor stalls, but that possibly 2 tires had burst. We had fll operations advise our dispatcher and maintenance control of our situation and asked them to advise if they concurred that we should cycle the gear. Operations control center advised to cycle the gear. We did so, and it cycled normally. Although operations control center felt it was ok to continue to lga, I was reluctant, as I felt there was a strong possibility that I had 2 flat tires and obviously lga was not the place to attempt a landing under such a circumstance -- especially if the blown tires were on the same main. I was also uncomfortable with taking the aircraft and my passenger on a planned 2 hour 45 min flight not knowing what had caused these 2 explosive 'bangs.' the dispatcher and I concurred that we would divert to tampa, as it is a large maintenance base, with long runways and excellent crash fire rescue equipment facilities. Returning to fll was ruled out due to lack of maintenance and by this time we were as close to tampa in point of time as we would have been to go back to miami. The aircraft was handling normally and the engines running perfectly. Going to tampa also gave us a chance to burn off some fuel as an overweight landing was indeed a possibility and some time to continue to go over our options among the crew and with dispatch. Once in range of tampa, we were able to confer directly with maintenance personnel on the scene and we concurred a fly-by was in order so that the tower could determine if they could see any damage to the tires, etc. Meanwhile, we had briefed the flight attendants and the passenger and declared an emergency. Being the possibility suggested that when we did land, directional control might be a problem if indeed we did have 2 blown tires on 1 side, we would prepare the cabin for an emergency landing and brace the passenger. After our fly-by, tpa tower reported they had 3 guys with binoculars and they had each taken a gear and they saw no obvious tire damage. (Keep in mind a flat tire with no pressure on it, will often appear round). We decided for the time being to leave the gear down as a precaution and circled south of the field to go over our options and again confer with our dispatcher via radio relay from tpa operations and via ACARS. We considered going to clt to burn off more fuel, but in the end, the dispatcher and I agreed all things considered that tpa was the best alternative. After all, we still did not know what caused the unexplained explosive bangs and how far was it prudent to fly? We rebriefed the passenger and the lead flight attendant, then the first officer and I reviewed the QRH regarding landing with damaged or failed tires, etc. We completed all checklists and I took over the flying duties, returned to tpa and made a normal landing (108000 pounds and a touchdown rate less than 100 FPM). All appeared normal to us, the tower, and the crash fire rescue equipment vehicles, we proceeded to the gate and deplaned through the jetway. Maintenance performed an overweight inspection, inspected the engines for compressor stall damage, and then ran the engines -- everything was normal. It was discovered that 2 large caskets containing human remains had broken their restraints and tore through the cargo netting, slamming into the aft cargo hold bulkhead. Maintenance theorized that was the source of the bangs, estimating these caskets probably weighed in the neighborhood of 600 pounds apiece. We accepted that hypothesis, being everything else checked normal. The passenger were reboarded and we proceeded without further incident to lga.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-200 DIVERTS TO TPA AFTER 2 LOUD BANGS WERE FELT AND HEARD AFTER TKOF FROM FLL, FL.

Narrative: TKOF FROM FLL WAS NORMAL AND WE WERE CLBING OUT NBOUND THROUGH ABOUT 4000 FT MSL WHEN 2 LOUD EXPLOSIVE SOUNDING BANGS WERE HEARD AND FELT THROUGHOUT THE ACFT. MY (CAPT) FIRST INCLINATION WAS THAT IT WAS A COMPRESSOR STALL, BUT BOTH ENG'S INDICATIONS WERE PERFECTLY UNDERNEATH US. THIS MADE ME SUSPECT THAT POSSIBLY THE NOSEWHEEL TIRES HAD EXPLODED. ABOUT THAT TIME THE FLT ATTENDANT SEATED ON THE AFT JUMP SEAT CALLED TO INQUIRE AS TO WHAT THE PROB WAS. I ASKED HIM WHERE IT SOUNDED LIKE TO HIM THE BANGS CAME FROM, HE SAID THEY SOUNDED TO HIM AS IF THEY HAD EMANATED FROM THE R REAR OF THE ACFT. WE THEN ADVISED ATC WE MIGHT HAVE A PROB AND WANTED TO LEVEL OFF AT 10000 FT WHILE CONTINUING NBOUND WHILE WE SORTED IT OUT AND CONFERRED WITH THE COMPANY. AT THIS POINT WE FELT THAT IT WAS NOT COMPRESSOR STALLS, BUT THAT POSSIBLY 2 TIRES HAD BURST. WE HAD FLL OPS ADVISE OUR DISPATCHER AND MAINT CTL OF OUR SIT AND ASKED THEM TO ADVISE IF THEY CONCURRED THAT WE SHOULD CYCLE THE GEAR. OPS CTL CTR ADVISED TO CYCLE THE GEAR. WE DID SO, AND IT CYCLED NORMALLY. ALTHOUGH OPS CTL CTR FELT IT WAS OK TO CONTINUE TO LGA, I WAS RELUCTANT, AS I FELT THERE WAS A STRONG POSSIBILITY THAT I HAD 2 FLAT TIRES AND OBVIOUSLY LGA WAS NOT THE PLACE TO ATTEMPT A LNDG UNDER SUCH A CIRCUMSTANCE -- ESPECIALLY IF THE BLOWN TIRES WERE ON THE SAME MAIN. I WAS ALSO UNCOMFORTABLE WITH TAKING THE ACFT AND MY PAX ON A PLANNED 2 HR 45 MIN FLT NOT KNOWING WHAT HAD CAUSED THESE 2 EXPLOSIVE 'BANGS.' THE DISPATCHER AND I CONCURRED THAT WE WOULD DIVERT TO TAMPA, AS IT IS A LARGE MAINT BASE, WITH LONG RWYS AND EXCELLENT CFR FACILITIES. RETURNING TO FLL WAS RULED OUT DUE TO LACK OF MAINT AND BY THIS TIME WE WERE AS CLOSE TO TAMPA IN POINT OF TIME AS WE WOULD HAVE BEEN TO GO BACK TO MIAMI. THE ACFT WAS HANDLING NORMALLY AND THE ENGS RUNNING PERFECTLY. GOING TO TAMPA ALSO GAVE US A CHANCE TO BURN OFF SOME FUEL AS AN OVERWT LNDG WAS INDEED A POSSIBILITY AND SOME TIME TO CONTINUE TO GO OVER OUR OPTIONS AMONG THE CREW AND WITH DISPATCH. ONCE IN RANGE OF TAMPA, WE WERE ABLE TO CONFER DIRECTLY WITH MAINT PERSONNEL ON THE SCENE AND WE CONCURRED A FLY-BY WAS IN ORDER SO THAT THE TWR COULD DETERMINE IF THEY COULD SEE ANY DAMAGE TO THE TIRES, ETC. MEANWHILE, WE HAD BRIEFED THE FLT ATTENDANTS AND THE PAX AND DECLARED AN EMER. BEING THE POSSIBILITY SUGGESTED THAT WHEN WE DID LAND, DIRECTIONAL CTL MIGHT BE A PROB IF INDEED WE DID HAVE 2 BLOWN TIRES ON 1 SIDE, WE WOULD PREPARE THE CABIN FOR AN EMER LNDG AND BRACE THE PAX. AFTER OUR FLY-BY, TPA TWR RPTED THEY HAD 3 GUYS WITH BINOCULARS AND THEY HAD EACH TAKEN A GEAR AND THEY SAW NO OBVIOUS TIRE DAMAGE. (KEEP IN MIND A FLAT TIRE WITH NO PRESSURE ON IT, WILL OFTEN APPEAR ROUND). WE DECIDED FOR THE TIME BEING TO LEAVE THE GEAR DOWN AS A PRECAUTION AND CIRCLED S OF THE FIELD TO GO OVER OUR OPTIONS AND AGAIN CONFER WITH OUR DISPATCHER VIA RADIO RELAY FROM TPA OPS AND VIA ACARS. WE CONSIDERED GOING TO CLT TO BURN OFF MORE FUEL, BUT IN THE END, THE DISPATCHER AND I AGREED ALL THINGS CONSIDERED THAT TPA WAS THE BEST ALTERNATIVE. AFTER ALL, WE STILL DID NOT KNOW WHAT CAUSED THE UNEXPLAINED EXPLOSIVE BANGS AND HOW FAR WAS IT PRUDENT TO FLY? WE REBRIEFED THE PAX AND THE LEAD FLT ATTENDANT, THEN THE FO AND I REVIEWED THE QRH REGARDING LNDG WITH DAMAGED OR FAILED TIRES, ETC. WE COMPLETED ALL CHKLISTS AND I TOOK OVER THE FLYING DUTIES, RETURNED TO TPA AND MADE A NORMAL LNDG (108000 LBS AND A TOUCHDOWN RATE LESS THAN 100 FPM). ALL APPEARED NORMAL TO US, THE TWR, AND THE CFR VEHICLES, WE PROCEEDED TO THE GATE AND DEPLANED THROUGH THE JETWAY. MAINT PERFORMED AN OVERWT INSPECTION, INSPECTED THE ENGS FOR COMPRESSOR STALL DAMAGE, AND THEN RAN THE ENGS -- EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL. IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT 2 LARGE CASKETS CONTAINING HUMAN REMAINS HAD BROKEN THEIR RESTRAINTS AND TORE THROUGH THE CARGO NETTING, SLAMMING INTO THE AFT CARGO HOLD BULKHEAD. MAINT THEORIZED THAT WAS THE SOURCE OF THE BANGS, ESTIMATING THESE CASKETS PROBABLY WEIGHED IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF 600 LBS APIECE. WE ACCEPTED THAT HYPOTHESIS, BEING EVERYTHING ELSE CHKED NORMAL. THE PAX WERE REBOARDED AND WE PROCEEDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT TO LGA.

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.