An md-83 flight crew declared an emergency and returned to their departure airport without incident ...

Narrative:

Shortly after gear retraction the left engine began to have compressor stalls. The throttle was retarded and the stalls stopped. I informed ATC that we were returning to the field and declaring an emergency. I requested the men and equipment to standby. The first officer and I discussed our options and possibilities. I briefed the flight attendants about our situation and made a PA to the passengers informing them we were returning to the airport due to an engine problem. The first officer and I briefed the approach and decided to use flaps 28 in case of an engine failure. After completing checklists we landed overweight. The landing was smooth and I shut down the left engine after stopping on the runway. I elected to remain on the runway until we were inspected by the fire department. After we were informed of no fire or visible damage we taxied to the gate and deplaned without further incident.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: An MD-83 flight crew declared an emergency and returned to their departure airport without incident after experiencing compressor stalls from the left engine shortly after takeoff.

Narrative: Shortly after gear retraction the left engine began to have compressor stalls. The throttle was retarded and the stalls stopped. I informed ATC that we were returning to the field and declaring an emergency. I requested the men and equipment to standby. The First Officer and I discussed our options and possibilities. I briefed the flight attendants about our situation and made a PA to the passengers informing them we were returning to the airport due to an engine problem. The First Officer and I briefed the approach and decided to use flaps 28 in case of an engine failure. After completing checklists we landed overweight. The landing was smooth and I shut down the left engine after stopping on the runway. I elected to remain on the runway until we were inspected by the Fire Department. After we were informed of no fire or visible damage we taxied to the gate and deplaned without further incident.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 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.

Attributes
ACN	998886
Time
Date	201203
Local Time Of Day	0001-0600
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.Airport
State Reference	US
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	MD-83
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Initial Climb
Flight Plan	IFR
Component
Aircraft Component	Turbine Engine
Person 1
Function	Captain Pilot Not Flying
Qualification	Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical

An md-83 flight crew declared an emergency and returned to their departure airport without incident after experiencing compressor stalls from the left engine shortly after takeoff.