Narrative:

I was the PNF and at V1 my eyes were inside to call the takeoff speeds. I called V1; vr; and V2 and we made a normal rotation. I retracted the gear and after the copilot called for flaps 1 degree he asked if I felt a vibration. I had not noticed a vibration before but it was slightly more vibration than I had ever felt in this type airplane. It could be felt in the floor and control column but not in the throttles or the pedestal. Then the copilot remarked that he had seen a seagull at V1 and was concerned it might be ingested by the right engine. We immediately checked the engine instruments and all was normal. The vibration indication on the EICAS showed 1.6 on the right engine and I believe .5 on the left engine. Numbers I had seen before on normal engines. However we were both concerned about the possibility of damage from a possible engine bird strike. I was not certain we had an engine bird strike and thought maybe we had a bird strike on flight control or surface. As we climbed; the vibration slowly diminished; in fact we leveled off due to ATC; in the teens; and the power came back all the way near idle. When the power was again applied for climb the vibration was gone. As we climbed; I remember thinking we are not going over water with this engine and every min we fly we are becoming lighter. There were numerous places ahead we could land quickly and safely if we had to. The EICAS vibration indication was now 1.3 on the right engine. I was still uncertain if we had a bird strike; or where. After climbing through FL180 a flight attendant in the middle of the plane called up and asked what happened on takeoff as he heard a loud bang and the unusual vibration after that. We had a flight attendant look into the right engine and she said she saw a brown smear in the nacelle. At this point I was certain we had ingested a bird. The airplane was flying perfectly with no vibration at any power setting. We climbed to FL380 and watched the engine carefully. It appeared completely normal. We told maintenance control we thought we had an engine bird strike and he sent back that the vibration he could see on rotation that the right engine had a reading of .6 versus a history of .2. I continued to check the WX along our route in case of a problem but even the fuel burn was quite normal. Dispatch sent a message saying they had monitored our maintenance control communication and offered ZZZ if we needed to land. We informed him that we would continue to our destination unless something changed. We had a normal fuel burn to our destination and made a normal descent and approach and landing. After landing we both went to look at the right engine and I was stunned to see as much damage as we saw to a number of fan blades. I am still in awe of this engine performing perfectly even with substantial damage to the fan section. If I had any indication of engine damage we would have returned to jfk; but we had none.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B757 INGESTED A BIRD ON TKOF FROM JFK. WITH NO SIGNIFICANT ENG ABNORMALITIES THE FLT CONTINUED TO ITS DEST WHERE SUBSTANTIAL FAN SECTION DAMAGE WAS FOUND.

Narrative: I WAS THE PNF AND AT V1 MY EYES WERE INSIDE TO CALL THE TKOF SPDS. I CALLED V1; VR; AND V2 AND WE MADE A NORMAL ROTATION. I RETRACTED THE GEAR AND AFTER THE COPLT CALLED FOR FLAPS 1 DEG HE ASKED IF I FELT A VIBRATION. I HAD NOT NOTICED A VIBRATION BEFORE BUT IT WAS SLIGHTLY MORE VIBRATION THAN I HAD EVER FELT IN THIS TYPE AIRPLANE. IT COULD BE FELT IN THE FLOOR AND CTL COLUMN BUT NOT IN THE THROTTLES OR THE PEDESTAL. THEN THE COPLT REMARKED THAT HE HAD SEEN A SEAGULL AT V1 AND WAS CONCERNED IT MIGHT BE INGESTED BY THE R ENG. WE IMMEDIATELY CHKED THE ENG INSTS AND ALL WAS NORMAL. THE VIBRATION INDICATION ON THE EICAS SHOWED 1.6 ON THE R ENG AND I BELIEVE .5 ON THE L ENG. NUMBERS I HAD SEEN BEFORE ON NORMAL ENGS. HOWEVER WE WERE BOTH CONCERNED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF DAMAGE FROM A POSSIBLE ENG BIRD STRIKE. I WAS NOT CERTAIN WE HAD AN ENG BIRD STRIKE AND THOUGHT MAYBE WE HAD A BIRD STRIKE ON FLT CTL OR SURFACE. AS WE CLBED; THE VIBRATION SLOWLY DIMINISHED; IN FACT WE LEVELED OFF DUE TO ATC; IN THE TEENS; AND THE PWR CAME BACK ALL THE WAY NEAR IDLE. WHEN THE PWR WAS AGAIN APPLIED FOR CLB THE VIBRATION WAS GONE. AS WE CLBED; I REMEMBER THINKING WE ARE NOT GOING OVER WATER WITH THIS ENG AND EVERY MIN WE FLY WE ARE BECOMING LIGHTER. THERE WERE NUMEROUS PLACES AHEAD WE COULD LAND QUICKLY AND SAFELY IF WE HAD TO. THE EICAS VIBRATION INDICATION WAS NOW 1.3 ON THE R ENG. I WAS STILL UNCERTAIN IF WE HAD A BIRD STRIKE; OR WHERE. AFTER CLBING THROUGH FL180 A FLT ATTENDANT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PLANE CALLED UP AND ASKED WHAT HAPPENED ON TKOF AS HE HEARD A LOUD BANG AND THE UNUSUAL VIBRATION AFTER THAT. WE HAD A FLT ATTENDANT LOOK INTO THE R ENG AND SHE SAID SHE SAW A BROWN SMEAR IN THE NACELLE. AT THIS POINT I WAS CERTAIN WE HAD INGESTED A BIRD. THE AIRPLANE WAS FLYING PERFECTLY WITH NO VIBRATION AT ANY PWR SETTING. WE CLBED TO FL380 AND WATCHED THE ENG CAREFULLY. IT APPEARED COMPLETELY NORMAL. WE TOLD MAINT CTL WE THOUGHT WE HAD AN ENG BIRD STRIKE AND HE SENT BACK THAT THE VIBRATION HE COULD SEE ON ROTATION THAT THE R ENG HAD A READING OF .6 VERSUS A HISTORY OF .2. I CONTINUED TO CHK THE WX ALONG OUR RTE IN CASE OF A PROB BUT EVEN THE FUEL BURN WAS QUITE NORMAL. DISPATCH SENT A MESSAGE SAYING THEY HAD MONITORED OUR MAINT CTL COM AND OFFERED ZZZ IF WE NEEDED TO LAND. WE INFORMED HIM THAT WE WOULD CONTINUE TO OUR DEST UNLESS SOMETHING CHANGED. WE HAD A NORMAL FUEL BURN TO OUR DEST AND MADE A NORMAL DSCNT AND APCH AND LNDG. AFTER LNDG WE BOTH WENT TO LOOK AT THE R ENG AND I WAS STUNNED TO SEE AS MUCH DAMAGE AS WE SAW TO A NUMBER OF FAN BLADES. I AM STILL IN AWE OF THIS ENG PERFORMING PERFECTLY EVEN WITH SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE FAN SECTION. IF I HAD ANY INDICATION OF ENG DAMAGE WE WOULD HAVE RETURNED TO JFK; BUT WE HAD NONE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 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.