Narrative:

Just minutes after takeoff; the airplane began to vibrate violently and we dipped towards the right (my right); then it sounded like metal grinding and being spit out or falling off the airplane. We then sunk a little; I felt as though we were going down. I waited a few minutes and then made a PA to the passenger as I was the #1 flight attendant. I told the passenger to remain seated with their seatbelts securely fastened about them. I then called my flight attendants and told them to do their 30 second review and be prepared for an emergency landing. The phone then rang and it was the captain notifying me that we've lost an engine and had 10 minutes to get the plane on the ground. That was all he said and hung up. He then notified the passenger. We were able to land back at ZZZ1 and the crash unit was awaiting our arrival. Once we were cleared of danger by crash unit; we continued to taxi back to the gate. Soon after arrival we (cockpit and cabin) gathered and we were made aware of the fact that this aircraft was written up on march/thurs/2005 for vibrating engine and nothing was done! There were also 11 broken blades from a previous incident on this aircraft and again nothing was done. The copilot immediately went to maintenance and questioned their; 'all ground checks clear' statement prior to our takeoff. We also found out through the logbook that this same aircraft had many write-ups with regard to its ability to operate safely; and once again nothing was done! Our managers on duty; mrs X and mrs Y; asked if we were ok and told us that if we wanted to be removed from the trip (safety) that we would have to take a personal off; which goes against our attendance record and we would not be paid! So it was evident that regardless how stressed (extremely stressed) we were; we were going to be punished if we didn't stay with the trip sequence and continue en route to ZZZ2. When met by supervisors at ZZZ3 the following day; we were told our emergency was not considered critical! I guess because we didn't die! The captain and copilot called for aircraft records of 30 days prior and 30 days prior to that! FAA should be notified of this severe negligence by air carrier X. Ground personnel and tower all saw our plane on fire as we disappeared into the clouds. The planes behind us also saw the fire! This was told to us after we returned to the gate. Passenger were crying upon arrival. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated when the violent shaking and the loud grinding noise started; the passenger became upset and began crying and screaming. With cabin announcements it was almost impossible to keep some belted in their seats. A short communication was received from the captain that an engine failed and they were returning to the field. The cabin was filled with many small children as school was out for the holiday. On the ground when the cabin crew calmed down and the passenger had deplaned; the flight crew and the cabin crew gathered and discussed the incident and what was revealed was the left engine heavy vibration had been reported many times. Maintenance found 11 blades missing from the fan stage. The cabin attendant managers on duty asked if they were ok and advised the cabin crew that if they wanted removal from the flight it would be charged against their attendance record and would receive no pay.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B757-200 IN CLB BEGAN TO VIBRATE VIOLENTLY WITH A LOUD GRINDING NOISE. ON THE GND THE FLT AND CABIN CREW GATHERED AND WERE ADVISED THIS ENG HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN RPTED SEVERAL TIMES FOR VIBRATION.

Narrative: JUST MINUTES AFTER TKOF; THE AIRPLANE BEGAN TO VIBRATE VIOLENTLY AND WE DIPPED TOWARDS THE R (MY RIGHT); THEN IT SOUNDED LIKE METAL GRINDING AND BEING SPIT OUT OR FALLING OFF THE AIRPLANE. WE THEN SUNK A LITTLE; I FELT AS THOUGH WE WERE GOING DOWN. I WAITED A FEW MINUTES AND THEN MADE A PA TO THE PAX AS I WAS THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT. I TOLD THE PAX TO REMAIN SEATED WITH THEIR SEATBELTS SECURELY FASTENED ABOUT THEM. I THEN CALLED MY FLT ATTENDANTS AND TOLD THEM TO DO THEIR 30 SECOND REVIEW AND BE PREPARED FOR AN EMER LNDG. THE PHONE THEN RANG AND IT WAS THE CAPT NOTIFYING ME THAT WE'VE LOST AN ENG AND HAD 10 MINUTES TO GET THE PLANE ON THE GND. THAT WAS ALL HE SAID AND HUNG UP. HE THEN NOTIFIED THE PAX. WE WERE ABLE TO LAND BACK AT ZZZ1 AND THE CRASH UNIT WAS AWAITING OUR ARR. ONCE WE WERE CLRED OF DANGER BY CRASH UNIT; WE CONTINUED TO TAXI BACK TO THE GATE. SOON AFTER ARR WE (COCKPIT AND CABIN) GATHERED AND WE WERE MADE AWARE OF THE FACT THAT THIS ACFT WAS WRITTEN UP ON MARCH/THURS/2005 FOR VIBRATING ENG AND NOTHING WAS DONE! THERE WERE ALSO 11 BROKEN BLADES FROM A PREVIOUS INCIDENT ON THIS ACFT AND AGAIN NOTHING WAS DONE. THE COPLT IMMEDIATELY WENT TO MAINT AND QUESTIONED THEIR; 'ALL GND CHKS CLR' STATEMENT PRIOR TO OUR TKOF. WE ALSO FOUND OUT THROUGH THE LOGBOOK THAT THIS SAME ACFT HAD MANY WRITE-UPS WITH REGARD TO ITS ABILITY TO OPERATE SAFELY; AND ONCE AGAIN NOTHING WAS DONE! OUR MANAGERS ON DUTY; MRS X AND MRS Y; ASKED IF WE WERE OK AND TOLD US THAT IF WE WANTED TO BE REMOVED FROM THE TRIP (SAFETY) THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO TAKE A PERSONAL OFF; WHICH GOES AGAINST OUR ATTENDANCE RECORD AND WE WOULD NOT BE PAID! SO IT WAS EVIDENT THAT REGARDLESS HOW STRESSED (EXTREMELY STRESSED) WE WERE; WE WERE GOING TO BE PUNISHED IF WE DIDN'T STAY WITH THE TRIP SEQUENCE AND CONTINUE ENRTE TO ZZZ2. WHEN MET BY SUPVRS AT ZZZ3 THE FOLLOWING DAY; WE WERE TOLD OUR EMER WAS NOT CONSIDERED CRITICAL! I GUESS BECAUSE WE DIDN'T DIE! THE CAPT AND COPLT CALLED FOR ACFT RECORDS OF 30 DAYS PRIOR AND 30 DAYS PRIOR TO THAT! FAA SHOULD BE NOTIFIED OF THIS SEVERE NEGLIGENCE BY ACR X. GND PERSONNEL AND TWR ALL SAW OUR PLANE ON FIRE AS WE DISAPPEARED INTO THE CLOUDS. THE PLANES BEHIND US ALSO SAW THE FIRE! THIS WAS TOLD TO US AFTER WE RETURNED TO THE GATE. PAX WERE CRYING UPON ARR. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED WHEN THE VIOLENT SHAKING AND THE LOUD GRINDING NOISE STARTED; THE PAX BECAME UPSET AND BEGAN CRYING AND SCREAMING. WITH CABIN ANNOUNCEMENTS IT WAS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO KEEP SOME BELTED IN THEIR SEATS. A SHORT COMMUNICATION WAS RECEIVED FROM THE CAPT THAT AN ENG FAILED AND THEY WERE RETURNING TO THE FIELD. THE CABIN WAS FILLED WITH MANY SMALL CHILDREN AS SCHOOL WAS OUT FOR THE HOLIDAY. ON THE GND WHEN THE CABIN CREW CALMED DOWN AND THE PAX HAD DEPLANED; THE FLT CREW AND THE CABIN CREW GATHERED AND DISCUSSED THE INCIDENT AND WHAT WAS REVEALED WAS THE L ENG HEAVY VIBRATION HAD BEEN RPTED MANY TIMES. MAINT FOUND 11 BLADES MISSING FROM THE FAN STAGE. THE CABIN ATTENDANT MANAGERS ON DUTY ASKED IF THEY WERE OK AND ADVISED THE CABIN CREW THAT IF THEY WANTED REMOVAL FROM THE FLT IT WOULD BE CHARGED AGAINST THEIR ATTENDANCE RECORD AND WOULD RECEIVE NO PAY.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.