Narrative:

On climb out at approximately 900 ft MSL, both pilots heard a loud bang, followed by a second loud bang and aircraft shudder with fluctuating N1 indications on #2 engine. Declared an emergency and vectored to downwind after request for runway 15L. Captain flying aircraft, first officer monitoring and communicating with tower and flight attendants. Captain reduced thrust and engine seemed to stabilize. On downwind, lead flight attendant called and informed us that there was fire coming out of the #1 engine, although we had no fire indications. At the same time, tower informed us that debris had been seen coming from the #2 engine. Seconds later, another flight attendant told us that the flames had been seen coming from the right engine and not the left as previously reported. Informed flight attendants to perform cabin emergency preparation procedures on direction from captain, and informed them they had approximately 5 mins to prepare cabin for possible evacuate/evacuation on aircraft left. I was running all normal checklists in order to catch up enough to find an abnormal checklist to run as we still weren't quite sure what situation we had, as the conversation with the cabin crew led me to believe we may have had more than 1 problem. However, by this time we were at 1000 ft on final for runway 15L. Landed overweight with equipment standing by. Stopped on runway, did not evacuate/evacuation. Tower and airport crash fire rescue equipment did not see any smoke or fire from aircraft. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated there was little information released by maintenance on the cause of the compressor stalls, but the engine was found ok for service. The reporter said after the engine went back into service, it subsequently caused 2 rejected takeoffs for engine stalling at high power.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-800 ON CLBOUT FROM IAH, TX, DECLARED AN EMER AND RETURN LAND DUE TO #2 ENG HAVING 2 LOUD COMPRESSOR STALLS AND FLUCTUATING N1 INDICATIONS. VISIBLE FIRE WAS RPTED BY FLT ATTENDANTS.

Narrative: ON CLBOUT AT APPROX 900 FT MSL, BOTH PLTS HEARD A LOUD BANG, FOLLOWED BY A SECOND LOUD BANG AND ACFT SHUDDER WITH FLUCTUATING N1 INDICATIONS ON #2 ENG. DECLARED AN EMER AND VECTORED TO DOWNWIND AFTER REQUEST FOR RWY 15L. CAPT FLYING ACFT, FO MONITORING AND COMMUNICATING WITH TWR AND FLT ATTENDANTS. CAPT REDUCED THRUST AND ENG SEEMED TO STABILIZE. ON DOWNWIND, LEAD FLT ATTENDANT CALLED AND INFORMED US THAT THERE WAS FIRE COMING OUT OF THE #1 ENG, ALTHOUGH WE HAD NO FIRE INDICATIONS. AT THE SAME TIME, TWR INFORMED US THAT DEBRIS HAD BEEN SEEN COMING FROM THE #2 ENG. SECONDS LATER, ANOTHER FLT ATTENDANT TOLD US THAT THE FLAMES HAD BEEN SEEN COMING FROM THE R ENG AND NOT THE L AS PREVIOUSLY RPTED. INFORMED FLT ATTENDANTS TO PERFORM CABIN EMER PREPARATION PROCS ON DIRECTION FROM CAPT, AND INFORMED THEM THEY HAD APPROX 5 MINS TO PREPARE CABIN FOR POSSIBLE EVAC ON ACFT L. I WAS RUNNING ALL NORMAL CHKLISTS IN ORDER TO CATCH UP ENOUGH TO FIND AN ABNORMAL CHKLIST TO RUN AS WE STILL WEREN'T QUITE SURE WHAT SIT WE HAD, AS THE CONVERSATION WITH THE CABIN CREW LED ME TO BELIEVE WE MAY HAVE HAD MORE THAN 1 PROB. HOWEVER, BY THIS TIME WE WERE AT 1000 FT ON FINAL FOR RWY 15L. LANDED OVERWT WITH EQUIP STANDING BY. STOPPED ON RWY, DID NOT EVAC. TWR AND ARPT CFR DID NOT SEE ANY SMOKE OR FIRE FROM ACFT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THERE WAS LITTLE INFO RELEASED BY MAINT ON THE CAUSE OF THE COMPRESSOR STALLS, BUT THE ENG WAS FOUND OK FOR SVC. THE RPTR SAID AFTER THE ENG WENT BACK INTO SVC, IT SUBSEQUENTLY CAUSED 2 REJECTED TKOFS FOR ENG STALLING AT HIGH PWR.

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.