Narrative:

We departed runway 17R in denver. B737-300, 20K thrust engines. Flaps 1, maximum power, bleeds on. Gross weight was 119000 pounds. Temperature was 85 degrees F. All indications were normal for engine start, taxi, spool up and acceleration. We had a left crosswind of about 15 KTS. The first officer was making the takeoff. At the V1 call, we heard a loud bang, experienced a heavy shimmy, and the plane swerved gently to the left. Since the first officer was fairly new on the airplane, I took the controls. At this point, because of the shimmy, I thought we had blown a tire. I rotated and the airplane didn't leave the ground. It finally began to slowly climb but because I still was not sure of the real problem, I firewalled the throttles. Once we were safely away from the ground and climbing, we had a chance to assess the situation. I glanced at the engine instruments and saw the N1 at 29 percent or so, and the egt at 1003 for the #1 engine. The immediate actions for fire/damage/separation were accomplished. We told tower that we had lost an engine, declared an emergency, and needed an immediate return to the airport. Because I still thought we had shredded a tire and a piece of that tire had damaged the engine, I decided to leave the gear down and the flaps at one. The flight attendants were told to prepare the cabin for evacuate/evacuation. We flew one l-hand pattern around with a low approach to runway 16 to give the tower a chance to look at our tires. During this fly-by, flight attendant came to the cockpit to give us an unsolicited, but welcome brief on what had happened, including a damage assessment. Tower could not tell one way or the other about the condition of our tires. The first officer had been running the appropriate checklists throughout the fly-by. We entered a right downwind for runway 7, which the prevailing wind favored. The approach and landing was normal. There was no vibration from the main gear, but when the nosewheel touched down we once again encountered a heavy shimmy. The aircraft was stopped straight ahead on the runway with no further problems. The passenger were told to stay in their seats. We never had a fire indication, and I could see no reason for an evacuate/evacuation. I set the brakes and the fire marshall approached the airplane and disappeared under the nose. When he reappeared he asked me through the open window if I thought we needed to evacuate/evacuation. I asked him if he saw a reason to. He said no. They brought a set of stairs up to the airplane and I went outside to check out the damage. I was totally surprised to find all tires intact including the nose tires. Busses soon arrived and we deplaned the passenger through door 1L. The crew left in a maintenance van, and the plane was towed to the hangar. There were no injuries, and except for the engines, no apparent aircraft damage.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF A B737-300 RETURNED AND LANDED AFTER AN ENG FAILED WITH A LOUD BANG AT V1 DURING TKOF. SINCE THE FLC FELT A SHIMMY AND A PULL TO THE L, THEY THOUGHT THAT A TIRE MIGHT HAVE BEEN BLOWN SO THE LNDG GEAR WAS LEFT DOWN AND FLY-BY THE TWR WAS MADE FOR OBSERVATION OF THE TIRES. A SUCCESSFUL ONE ENG LNDG WAS MADE WITH EMER EQUIP ON STANDBY.

Narrative: WE DEPARTED RWY 17R IN DENVER. B737-300, 20K THRUST ENGS. FLAPS 1, MAX PWR, BLEEDS ON. GROSS WT WAS 119000 LBS. TEMP WAS 85 DEGS F. ALL INDICATIONS WERE NORMAL FOR ENG START, TAXI, SPOOL UP AND ACCELERATION. WE HAD A L XWIND OF ABOUT 15 KTS. THE FO WAS MAKING THE TKOF. AT THE V1 CALL, WE HEARD A LOUD BANG, EXPERIENCED A HVY SHIMMY, AND THE PLANE SWERVED GENTLY TO THE L. SINCE THE FO WAS FAIRLY NEW ON THE AIRPLANE, I TOOK THE CTLS. AT THIS POINT, BECAUSE OF THE SHIMMY, I THOUGHT WE HAD BLOWN A TIRE. I ROTATED AND THE AIRPLANE DIDN'T LEAVE THE GND. IT FINALLY BEGAN TO SLOWLY CLB BUT BECAUSE I STILL WAS NOT SURE OF THE REAL PROB, I FIREWALLED THE THROTTLES. ONCE WE WERE SAFELY AWAY FROM THE GND AND CLBING, WE HAD A CHANCE TO ASSESS THE SIT. I GLANCED AT THE ENG INSTS AND SAW THE N1 AT 29 PERCENT OR SO, AND THE EGT AT 1003 FOR THE #1 ENG. THE IMMEDIATE ACTIONS FOR FIRE/DAMAGE/SEPARATION WERE ACCOMPLISHED. WE TOLD TWR THAT WE HAD LOST AN ENG, DECLARED AN EMER, AND NEEDED AN IMMEDIATE RETURN TO THE ARPT. BECAUSE I STILL THOUGHT WE HAD SHREDDED A TIRE AND A PIECE OF THAT TIRE HAD DAMAGED THE ENG, I DECIDED TO LEAVE THE GEAR DOWN AND THE FLAPS AT ONE. THE FLT ATTENDANTS WERE TOLD TO PREPARE THE CABIN FOR EVAC. WE FLEW ONE L-HAND PATTERN AROUND WITH A LOW APCH TO RWY 16 TO GIVE THE TWR A CHANCE TO LOOK AT OUR TIRES. DURING THIS FLY-BY, FLT ATTENDANT CAME TO THE COCKPIT TO GIVE US AN UNSOLICITED, BUT WELCOME BRIEF ON WHAT HAD HAPPENED, INCLUDING A DAMAGE ASSESSMENT. TWR COULD NOT TELL ONE WAY OR THE OTHER ABOUT THE CONDITION OF OUR TIRES. THE FO HAD BEEN RUNNING THE APPROPRIATE CHKLISTS THROUGHOUT THE FLY-BY. WE ENTERED A R DOWNWIND FOR RWY 7, WHICH THE PREVAILING WIND FAVORED. THE APCH AND LNDG WAS NORMAL. THERE WAS NO VIBRATION FROM THE MAIN GEAR, BUT WHEN THE NOSEWHEEL TOUCHED DOWN WE ONCE AGAIN ENCOUNTERED A HVY SHIMMY. THE ACFT WAS STOPPED STRAIGHT AHEAD ON THE RWY WITH NO FURTHER PROBS. THE PAX WERE TOLD TO STAY IN THEIR SEATS. WE NEVER HAD A FIRE INDICATION, AND I COULD SEE NO REASON FOR AN EVAC. I SET THE BRAKES AND THE FIRE MARSHALL APCHED THE AIRPLANE AND DISAPPEARED UNDER THE NOSE. WHEN HE REAPPEARED HE ASKED ME THROUGH THE OPEN WINDOW IF I THOUGHT WE NEEDED TO EVAC. I ASKED HIM IF HE SAW A REASON TO. HE SAID NO. THEY BROUGHT A SET OF STAIRS UP TO THE AIRPLANE AND I WENT OUTSIDE TO CHK OUT THE DAMAGE. I WAS TOTALLY SURPRISED TO FIND ALL TIRES INTACT INCLUDING THE NOSE TIRES. BUSSES SOON ARRIVED AND WE DEPLANED THE PAX THROUGH DOOR 1L. THE CREW LEFT IN A MAINT VAN, AND THE PLANE WAS TOWED TO THE HANGAR. THERE WERE NO INJURIES, AND EXCEPT FOR THE ENGS, NO APPARENT ACFT DAMAGE.

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.