Narrative:

Medium large transport was cleared for takeoff on runway 18L. Immediately after rotation I observed a huge ball of flame and dark smoke fall and trail behind the medium large transport as he passed directly in front of the tower. I refrained from transmitting anything until I observed medium large transport in level controled flight. At that point I asked his intentions. He replied 'make a right turn and come back around to land on runway 18R.' as medium large transport turned downwind his radar target disappeared in the main bang of the antennae and him having climbed into the clouds was no longer in visual contact. Arrs on runway 13R were being sent around. We decided to close the entire west side of the airport. I began getting previously arrival aircraft from between the runways and on the taxiways away from runway 18R. I had no idea how much control of the aircraft the pilot had and feared upon landing he may miss the actual runway. I reestablished his target 1 mi west of the numbers of runway 18R and tracking about 010 degrees. 2 aircraft on final to runway 18R were sent around to enable medium large transport to land. I asked him if he could make a right turn back into the airport and he replied he wanted to be vectored out for an approach. I asked his altitude and issued a left turn away from the final of runway 17L. He responded leveling at 3000 ft. At this point medium large transport and air carrier Y were near the same altitude and within approximately 1 mi horizontal of each other. When medium large transport was clear of my traffic and established on a 310 degree heading I switched him to departure. Throughout the time I was talking to medium large transport his ARTS tag had been suspended by the departure controller and I had neither a call sign nor altitude readout to work with. Medium large transport was vectored and completed an ILS runway 13R approach without incident. Supplemental information from acn 199058: medium large transport made a visual approach to 13R. Medium large transport may have got too close to some airplanes on the 18R/17L final, but the pilot obviously was exercising his emergency authority, so all is fair. Big sky theory. I am convinced that if the crew of medium large transport knew about the ATC system of dfw they may have thought twice before they turned hard right.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR MLG PHYSICALLY LOST AN ENG ON TKOF FROM DFW. FLC ADVISED THEY WANTED TO RETURN AND WERE VECTORED BACK FOR AN APCH TO RWY 13R.

Narrative: MLG WAS CLRED FOR TKOF ON RWY 18L. IMMEDIATELY AFTER ROTATION I OBSERVED A HUGE BALL OF FLAME AND DARK SMOKE FALL AND TRAIL BEHIND THE MLG AS HE PASSED DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THE TWR. I REFRAINED FROM XMITTING ANYTHING UNTIL I OBSERVED MLG IN LEVEL CTLED FLT. AT THAT POINT I ASKED HIS INTENTIONS. HE REPLIED 'MAKE A R TURN AND COME BACK AROUND TO LAND ON RWY 18R.' AS MLG TURNED DOWNWIND HIS RADAR TARGET DISAPPEARED IN THE MAIN BANG OF THE ANTENNAE AND HIM HAVING CLBED INTO THE CLOUDS WAS NO LONGER IN VISUAL CONTACT. ARRS ON RWY 13R WERE BEING SENT AROUND. WE DECIDED TO CLOSE THE ENTIRE W SIDE OF THE ARPT. I BEGAN GETTING PREVIOUSLY ARR ACFT FROM BTWN THE RWYS AND ON THE TAXIWAYS AWAY FROM RWY 18R. I HAD NO IDEA HOW MUCH CTL OF THE ACFT THE PLT HAD AND FEARED UPON LNDG HE MAY MISS THE ACTUAL RWY. I REESTABLISHED HIS TARGET 1 MI W OF THE NUMBERS OF RWY 18R AND TRACKING ABOUT 010 DEGS. 2 ACFT ON FINAL TO RWY 18R WERE SENT AROUND TO ENABLE MLG TO LAND. I ASKED HIM IF HE COULD MAKE A R TURN BACK INTO THE ARPT AND HE REPLIED HE WANTED TO BE VECTORED OUT FOR AN APCH. I ASKED HIS ALT AND ISSUED A L TURN AWAY FROM THE FINAL OF RWY 17L. HE RESPONDED LEVELING AT 3000 FT. AT THIS POINT MLG AND ACR Y WERE NEAR THE SAME ALT AND WITHIN APPROX 1 MI HORIZ OF EACH OTHER. WHEN MLG WAS CLR OF MY TFC AND ESTABLISHED ON A 310 DEG HDG I SWITCHED HIM TO DEP. THROUGHOUT THE TIME I WAS TALKING TO MLG HIS ARTS TAG HAD BEEN SUSPENDED BY THE DEP CTLR AND I HAD NEITHER A CALL SIGN NOR ALT READOUT TO WORK WITH. MLG WAS VECTORED AND COMPLETED AN ILS RWY 13R APCH WITHOUT INCIDENT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 199058: MLG MADE A VISUAL APCH TO 13R. MLG MAY HAVE GOT TOO CLOSE TO SOME AIRPLANES ON THE 18R/17L FINAL, BUT THE PLT OBVIOUSLY WAS EXERCISING HIS EMER AUTHORITY, SO ALL IS FAIR. BIG SKY THEORY. I AM CONVINCED THAT IF THE CREW OF MLG KNEW ABOUT THE ATC SYS OF DFW THEY MAY HAVE THOUGHT TWICE BEFORE THEY TURNED HARD R.

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.