Narrative:

Captain was pilot flying. I was the pilot monitoring. We were climbing through FL180 on a standard instrument departure. With full climb power on the engines; we heard a loud bang accompanied by vibration and a yaw to the left. The egt was flashing red and indicated approximately 998 degrees. The captain announced; 'left engine failure;' and retarded the throttle to idle; disconnected the autopilot; and leveled the aircraft. We both assessed the engine instruments; determined it was a normal engine failure; declared an emergency; and requested an immediate return to ZZZ for landing. We proceeded with the engine failure/shutdown checklist in the QRH as we started a slow turn and descent back to ZZZ. We assessed the engine and determined a restart was possible. We ran the in-flight engine start checklist but could not get the N2 to rise above 25%. We then aborted the in-flight restart and proceeded with the one engine inoperative landing checklist. We were cleared the ILS xxl at ZZZ and flew the 15 flap approach and landing to an uneventful full stop landing. With no smoke; fire; or braking issues we taxied to gate xx; shut down the aircraft; and deplaned the passengers. Periodically throughout the descent to landing; we communicated with the flight attendants and passengers to anticipate an uneventful landing. We also informed ATC of our souls on board and fuel remaining when questioned about this. We told them to inform crash; fire; and rescue personnel which engine had failed and that a normal landing and rollout was anticipated.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: Air carrier departure described an engine failure during the climb to flight levels and the actions taken by the crew and ATC during the return to the departure airport.

Narrative: Captain was Pilot Flying. I was the Pilot Monitoring. We were climbing through FL180 on a Standard Instrument Departure. With full climb power on the engines; we heard a loud bang accompanied by vibration and a yaw to the left. The EGT was flashing red and indicated approximately 998 degrees. The Captain announced; 'Left engine failure;' and retarded the throttle to idle; disconnected the autopilot; and leveled the aircraft. We both assessed the engine instruments; determined it was a normal engine failure; declared an emergency; and requested an immediate return to ZZZ for landing. We proceeded with the Engine Failure/Shutdown Checklist in the QRH as we started a slow turn and descent back to ZZZ. We assessed the engine and determined a restart was possible. We ran the In-flight Engine Start Checklist but could not get the N2 to rise above 25%. We then aborted the in-flight restart and proceeded with the One Engine Inoperative Landing Checklist. We were cleared the ILS XXL at ZZZ and flew the 15 flap approach and landing to an uneventful full stop landing. With no smoke; fire; or braking issues we taxied to Gate XX; shut down the aircraft; and deplaned the passengers. Periodically throughout the descent to landing; we communicated with the flight attendants and passengers to anticipate an uneventful landing. We also informed ATC of our souls on board and fuel remaining when questioned about this. We told them to inform crash; fire; and rescue personnel which engine had failed and that a normal landing and rollout was anticipated.

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.