Shortly after takeoff the flight crew of an md-83 suffered the loss of the left hydraulic system. Th...

Narrative:

We were on initial climb out of about 2;000 MSL when the left hydraulic press low light came on. As the non-flying pilot; I reached for the QRH to begin working the problem when the light extinguished.just after the flying pilot called for the slats to be retracted; as I performed my climb flow and turned off the aux hydraulic pump and the hydraulic transfer pump. I noticed that the left hydraulic system had lost pressure and the quantity gauge read just below two quarts. I performed the QRH procedures and we decided the return to our departure airport. We landed normally and taxied to the gate with no further incident. A contract mechanic informed us that we had an o-ring on a securing nut fail causing the left hand system to drain almost all of the hydraulic fluid. He then proceeded to get us back airworthy in a very timely manner. I commend first officer and the flight attendants for their calm and professional demeanor during our event. Positive training; standardization; and CRM were key elements that assured our situation turned out safely.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: Shortly after takeoff the flight crew of an MD-83 suffered the loss of the left hydraulic system. They complied with the appropriate checklists and returned safely to their departure airport where Maintenance replaced a broken O-ring on a securing nut which resolved the problem.

Narrative: We were on initial climb out of about 2;000 MSL when the L HYD PRESS LOW light came on. As the non-flying pilot; I reached for the QRH to begin working the problem when the light extinguished.Just after the flying pilot called for the slats to be retracted; as I performed my climb flow and turned off the aux hydraulic pump and the hydraulic transfer pump. I noticed that the left hydraulic system had lost pressure and the quantity gauge read just below two quarts. I performed the QRH procedures and we decided the return to our departure airport. We landed normally and taxied to the gate with no further incident. A Contract Mechanic informed us that we had an O-ring on a securing nut fail causing the left hand system to drain almost all of the hydraulic fluid. He then proceeded to get us back airworthy in a very timely manner. I commend First Officer and the flight attendants for their calm and professional demeanor during our event. Positive training; standardization; and CRM were key elements that assured our situation turned out safely.

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	1067377
Time
Date	201302
Local Time Of Day	0601-1200
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.Airport
State Reference	US
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	MD-83
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Climb
Flight Plan	IFR
Component
Aircraft Component	Hydraulic System
Person 1
Function	Captain Pilot Not Flying
Qualification	Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical

Shortly after takeoff the flight crew of an md-83 suffered the loss of the left hydraulic system. They complied with the appropriate checklists and returned safely to their departure airport where maintenance replaced a broken o-ring on a securing nut which resolved the problem.