Narrative:

FL280; beginning of cruise portion of flight. The aircraft was operated under full automation after initial climb segment. First officer was pilot flying; captain was pilot monitoring. Departure; climb; and intermediate level off were all normal. Upon level off at cruise altitude; power reduction was abnormal; the right thrust lever retarded more than normal; the left power lever remained at climb position; engine indications on left engine indicated a climb power setting; and control wheel was deflected toward the left engine. The auto-throttles were disconnected; and control of thrust was attempted manually with no success. At this time the appropriate checklist was completed; and the captain assigned flying duties to the first officer. Dispatch was notified of the situation; and a request for input from maintenance was initiated. The flight crew discussed the situation; formulated a plan; informed ATC there was a malfunction; and requested a reroute to return to departure airport. An emergency was not declared at this time based on the fact that the left engine was stable; and not exceeding parameters; however the APU was started at this time as a precaution. The captain apprised the flight attendants; passengers; dispatch; and operations of the situation; while the first officer began the return. Aircraft weight at this time was noted to be approximately 125;000 lbs. The flight crew decided to request holding; reduce weight; then shut down left engine; and declared an emergency. ATC was apprised of this plan; and a request was forwarded to have emergency equipment stand by. The appropriate checklists (flaps 15 landing distance; single engine preliminary landing; engine shut down; etc) were reviewed by the flight crew and then accomplished as necessary. The plan was then again reviewed by the flight crew - operations; dispatch; flight attendants; and passengers were then updated. After burning down fuel; the left engine was shut down; an emergency declared; and an uneventful single engine landing was performed by the first officer; with the captain monitoring. The aircraft was taxied to the gate; and met by customer service; maintenance; and a representative of the emergency rescue crew. It should be noted that during this event the first officer performed flawlessly; as did the cabin crew; as evidenced by the calm demeanor of the passengers throughout the event. It should be noted that flight attendant scheduling placed undue pressure on the flight attendants to continue to remain on duty. Only upon pressure from the flight crew were the flight attendants replaced.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-400 Flight Crew noticed left engine would not reduce thrust at top of climb. They coordinated with dispatch and maintenance; shut down the engine; declared an emergency; and returned to departure airport.

Narrative: FL280; beginning of cruise portion of flight. The aircraft was operated under full automation after initial climb segment. First Officer was pilot flying; Captain was pilot monitoring. Departure; climb; and intermediate level off were all normal. Upon level off at cruise altitude; power reduction was abnormal; the right thrust lever retarded more than normal; the left power lever remained at climb position; engine indications on left engine indicated a climb power setting; and control wheel was deflected toward the left engine. The auto-throttles were disconnected; and control of thrust was attempted manually with no success. At this time the appropriate checklist was completed; and the Captain assigned flying duties to the First Officer. Dispatch was notified of the situation; and a request for input from maintenance was initiated. The Flight Crew discussed the situation; formulated a plan; informed ATC there was a malfunction; and requested a reroute to return to departure airport. An emergency was not declared at this time based on the fact that the left engine was stable; and not exceeding parameters; however the APU was started at this time as a precaution. The Captain apprised the Flight Attendants; Passengers; Dispatch; and Operations of the situation; while the First Officer began the return. Aircraft weight at this time was noted to be approximately 125;000 lbs. The Flight Crew decided to request holding; reduce weight; then shut down left engine; and declared an emergency. ATC was apprised of this plan; and a request was forwarded to have emergency equipment stand by. The appropriate checklists (flaps 15 landing distance; single engine preliminary landing; engine shut down; etc) were reviewed by the Flight Crew and then accomplished as necessary. The plan was then again reviewed by the Flight Crew - Operations; Dispatch; Flight Attendants; and Passengers were then updated. After burning down fuel; the left engine was shut down; an emergency declared; and an uneventful single engine landing was performed by the First Officer; with the Captain monitoring. The aircraft was taxied to the gate; and met by Customer Service; Maintenance; and a Representative of the Emergency Rescue Crew. It should be noted that during this event the First Officer performed flawlessly; as did the cabin crew; as evidenced by the calm demeanor of the passengers throughout the event. It should be noted that Flight Attendant scheduling placed undue pressure on the Flight Attendants to continue to remain on duty. Only upon pressure from the Flight Crew were the Flight Attendants replaced.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.