Narrative:

On jul/xa/01, I was captain of air carrier flight XXX on an IFR flight plan from sjc to stl. It was my leg. There were 6 crew members, 136 passenger, and 1 additional crew member on board. The flight progressed normally until approximately 2 mins after takeoff from runway 12R sjc, when at 3500 ft MSL, the left engine abruptly failed. The aircraft confign was clean. The engines were at climb power. The autoplt and autothrottles were engaged. The airspeed was 240 KTS and accelerating. The aircraft was on a heading of 123 degrees approximately 8 mi from the sjc VOR. The WX was: sky clear, wind 120 degrees at 10 KTS, temperature 18 degrees C, altimeter 29.84. When the engine failed, I heard an engine compressor stall, felt the aircraft decelerate, and noticed the aircraft start to roll. I immediately disconnected the autoplt and hand flew the airplane for the remainder of the flight. A quick glance of the engine instruments showed the left EPR at .97, with N1, egt, and N2 rapidly decreasing. I called out 'engine failure.' the first officer verified the left engine had failed and declared an emergency with ATC. Although I did not verbalize it at the time, I felt a relight attempt would be inappropriate due probable engine damage. Immediately after the engine failed, the L1 flight attendant knocked on the cockpit door. I let her in the cockpit and told her the left engine had failed. The first officer asked her to check the cabin and the left engine. Shortly thereafter, she reported there was no smoke, no injuries, no cabin damage, and that the left engine was still there. I advised her to go over her 30 second review (flight attendant emergency procedures), to prepare the cabin for landing at sjc, and that she had approximately 10 mins remaining. While distracting, she provided me with needed information. I started a dogleg to final just east of moffett, checked that the first officer was tuned to the runway 12R ILS, then asked for 'gear down,' then intercepted the ILS final approach course, and when GS captured, I called for 'flaps 28 degrees,' and slowed to final approach speed. I briefed the first officer for the overweight landing. First officer to have evacuate/evacuation checklist ready, that I would stay at bug +5-10 KTS during the approach, that I would stay on GS except close-in, that both thrust reversers would be used, that conditions permitting I would slow to less than 100 KTS before using the brakes, that I would use the full length of runway to stop the aircraft, and that I would stop on the runway to evaluate the need for ground evacuate/evacuation. On final we were switched to tower and cleared to land. Both thrust reversers deployed normally. The maximum EPR used on the right engine was 2.0 which I reduced as the aircraft slowed. At 100 KTS with 6000 ft remaining, I applied moderate braking force. The aircraft stopped with approximately 2000 ft of runway remaining. The aircraft gross weight at landing was 142,000 pounds. Once stopped, I noted no abnormal indications in the cockpit. I checked the cabin. Conditions appeared normal. Tower switched us to ground control to speak with the emergency equipment behind us. We were told everything looked ok. Ground control cleared us to taxi to the gate. A postflt inspection revealed a catastrophic failure of the 4TH stage turbine.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN MD82 IN CLB AT 3500 FT DECLARED AN EMER AND RETURNED TO LAND DUE TO L ENG LOSS OF PWR CAUSED BY 4TH STAGE TURBINE FAILURE.

Narrative: ON JUL/XA/01, I WAS CAPT OF ACR FLT XXX ON AN IFR FLT PLAN FROM SJC TO STL. IT WAS MY LEG. THERE WERE 6 CREW MEMBERS, 136 PAX, AND 1 ADDITIONAL CREW MEMBER ON BOARD. THE FLT PROGRESSED NORMALLY UNTIL APPROX 2 MINS AFTER TKOF FROM RWY 12R SJC, WHEN AT 3500 FT MSL, THE L ENG ABRUPTLY FAILED. THE ACFT CONFIGN WAS CLEAN. THE ENGS WERE AT CLB PWR. THE AUTOPLT AND AUTOTHROTTLES WERE ENGAGED. THE AIRSPD WAS 240 KTS AND ACCELERATING. THE ACFT WAS ON A HDG OF 123 DEGS APPROX 8 MI FROM THE SJC VOR. THE WX WAS: SKY CLR, WIND 120 DEGS AT 10 KTS, TEMP 18 DEGS C, ALTIMETER 29.84. WHEN THE ENG FAILED, I HEARD AN ENG COMPRESSOR STALL, FELT THE ACFT DECELERATE, AND NOTICED THE ACFT START TO ROLL. I IMMEDIATELY DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT AND HAND FLEW THE AIRPLANE FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT. A QUICK GLANCE OF THE ENG INSTS SHOWED THE L EPR AT .97, WITH N1, EGT, AND N2 RAPIDLY DECREASING. I CALLED OUT 'ENG FAILURE.' THE FO VERIFIED THE L ENG HAD FAILED AND DECLARED AN EMER WITH ATC. ALTHOUGH I DID NOT VERBALIZE IT AT THE TIME, I FELT A RELIGHT ATTEMPT WOULD BE INAPPROPRIATE DUE PROBABLE ENG DAMAGE. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE ENG FAILED, THE L1 FLT ATTENDANT KNOCKED ON THE COCKPIT DOOR. I LET HER IN THE COCKPIT AND TOLD HER THE L ENG HAD FAILED. THE FO ASKED HER TO CHK THE CABIN AND THE L ENG. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, SHE RPTED THERE WAS NO SMOKE, NO INJURIES, NO CABIN DAMAGE, AND THAT THE L ENG WAS STILL THERE. I ADVISED HER TO GO OVER HER 30 SECOND REVIEW (FLT ATTENDANT EMER PROCS), TO PREPARE THE CABIN FOR LNDG AT SJC, AND THAT SHE HAD APPROX 10 MINS REMAINING. WHILE DISTRACTING, SHE PROVIDED ME WITH NEEDED INFO. I STARTED A DOGLEG TO FINAL JUST E OF MOFFETT, CHKED THAT THE FO WAS TUNED TO THE RWY 12R ILS, THEN ASKED FOR 'GEAR DOWN,' THEN INTERCEPTED THE ILS FINAL APCH COURSE, AND WHEN GS CAPTURED, I CALLED FOR 'FLAPS 28 DEGS,' AND SLOWED TO FINAL APCH SPD. I BRIEFED THE FO FOR THE OVERWT LNDG. FO TO HAVE EVAC CHKLIST READY, THAT I WOULD STAY AT BUG +5-10 KTS DURING THE APCH, THAT I WOULD STAY ON GS EXCEPT CLOSE-IN, THAT BOTH THRUST REVERSERS WOULD BE USED, THAT CONDITIONS PERMITTING I WOULD SLOW TO LESS THAN 100 KTS BEFORE USING THE BRAKES, THAT I WOULD USE THE FULL LENGTH OF RWY TO STOP THE ACFT, AND THAT I WOULD STOP ON THE RWY TO EVALUATE THE NEED FOR GND EVAC. ON FINAL WE WERE SWITCHED TO TWR AND CLRED TO LAND. BOTH THRUST REVERSERS DEPLOYED NORMALLY. THE MAX EPR USED ON THE R ENG WAS 2.0 WHICH I REDUCED AS THE ACFT SLOWED. AT 100 KTS WITH 6000 FT REMAINING, I APPLIED MODERATE BRAKING FORCE. THE ACFT STOPPED WITH APPROX 2000 FT OF RWY REMAINING. THE ACFT GROSS WT AT LNDG WAS 142,000 LBS. ONCE STOPPED, I NOTED NO ABNORMAL INDICATIONS IN THE COCKPIT. I CHKED THE CABIN. CONDITIONS APPEARED NORMAL. TWR SWITCHED US TO GND CTL TO SPEAK WITH THE EMER EQUIP BEHIND US. WE WERE TOLD EVERYTHING LOOKED OK. GND CTL CLRED US TO TAXI TO THE GATE. A POSTFLT INSPECTION REVEALED A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE 4TH STAGE TURBINE.

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.