Narrative:

Normal takeoff and climb out until 22;000 ft when a violent compressor stall shook the aircraft. A second stall occurred moments later; right engine EPR dropped to idle momentarily and then returned to climb power. No egt; N1; or N2 excursions were noted; probably because of the extreme rapidity of the event. Completed engine compressor stall checklist; idled the right engine and no further stalls occurred. As the engine had a history of compressor stalls and due to the extreme violence of the stalls I elected to return to the departure airport. Completed one engine landing checklist. With right engine at idle descent; landing and rollout were uneventful; runway was dry and weight was just under maximum landing. Shut down the right engine after exiting the runway. Airfield rescue and fire fighter chief reported no smoke or other signs of damage.while on the localizer approach; for the compressor stalls; I believe I momentarily dropped below minimum altitude at initial approach intersection just before reaching the intersection. I don't think it was more than 100 ft; but I was very distracted with the engine problem and the declared emergency -- all the radio calls; the PA's and checklists in addition to flying the approach. Safety was never an issue as we were in clear air; ATC was giving us top priority as an emergency aircraft; and both the first officer and I are very familiar with the approach and area. Still I may have busted an altitude and am submitting this report for that reason.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A MD80 flight crew at FL220 experienced a violent engine compressor stall during climbout. The aircraft had a history of compressor stalls; therefore; an emergency was declared; the checklist was completed; and the aircraft was returned to the departure airport.

Narrative: Normal takeoff and climb out until 22;000 FT when a violent compressor stall shook the aircraft. A second stall occurred moments later; right engine EPR dropped to idle momentarily and then returned to climb power. No EGT; N1; or N2 excursions were noted; probably because of the extreme rapidity of the event. Completed Engine Compressor Stall checklist; idled the right engine and no further stalls occurred. As the engine had a history of compressor stalls and due to the extreme violence of the stalls I elected to return to the departure airport. Completed One Engine Landing checklist. With right engine at idle descent; landing and rollout were uneventful; runway was dry and weight was just under maximum landing. Shut down the right engine after exiting the runway. Airfield Rescue and Fire Fighter Chief reported no smoke or other signs of damage.While on the localizer approach; for the compressor stalls; I believe I momentarily dropped below minimum altitude at initial approach intersection just before reaching the intersection. I don't think it was more than 100 FT; but I was very distracted with the engine problem and the declared emergency -- all the radio calls; the PA's and checklists in addition to flying the approach. Safety was never an issue as we were in clear air; ATC was giving us top priority as an emergency aircraft; and both the First Officer and I are very familiar with the approach and area. Still I may have busted an altitude and am submitting this report for that reason.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.