Flight crew reported the loss of the Left Generator after take off and elected to perform a precautionary landing at departure airport.
Synopsis
Flight crew reported the loss of the Left Generator after take off and elected to perform a precautionary landing at departure airport.
Narrative
After a lengthy wheels up delay we took off on [Runway] XXR and shortly after Takeoff; during climb out phase of flight; (approximately 1;000 ft. MSL) I lost my Primary Flight Instruments/Displays; followed by the failure of all Displays in the cockpit with numerous EICAS cautions prior to EICAS display failure. The First Officer was changing frequencies and making a radio call with ATC when the initial failure happened; but within a few seconds all displays flickered on and then all failed again. I continued to fly using standby instruments until the R GEN eventually carried the electrical load and some of the failures where cleared; but load shedding disabled several items; including as expected; R ELEC HYD pump; UTIL BUSES; etc... When I spoke to the FAs (Flight Attendants) on the initial contact with them while we were initiating the return to ZZZ1; they also confirmed they had lost power in the cabin/galleys. When partial electrical power was established I noticed the L GEN OFF was the only switch that was not a load shed item amongst all the other illuminated lights. At some point early on during the failures we started the APU and the FO (First Officer) ran the L GEN OFF QRH. Once the APU came on line; everything somewhat returned to normal with the exception of the L GEN OFF EICAS. Running the QRH failed to reset the L GEN failure. After checklist completion down to deferred items; I transferred control of the aircraft to the FO and began coordinating with ZZZ1 Station Operations and Maintenance; Dispatch and Maintenance Control; while the FO flew and coordinated with ATC for the return to ZZZ1. We coordinated with ZZZ1 Maintenance about an overweight landing and what that involved with the overweight landing inspection and were assured they could handle that; at which time we elected to return to ZZZ1; versus burning off approximately 2 hours of the 6 hours of fuel we had. We did not [request priority handling]; but initially with all the failures; we anticipated we would and I believe I passed that along to Dispatch; however we never officially declared with ATC. We did inform ATC of our situation; souls on board and fuel remaining and they vectored us out over the [ocean] to get set up for a straight in to the south complex; [Runway] XYL or [Runway] XYR. Initially they wanted us to land on [Runway] XXL; but we requested the south complex and longer runways. We set up for XYR and they gave us XYL; but we requested XYR to avoid another runway change; and subsequently that paid dividends when another Airline closed XYL with a disabled aircraft while we were on final for XYR. I advised the FAs of our issues early on and that we were probably returning the ZZZ1 and subsequently ran [checklist] with them to let them know we were actually returning to ZZZ1. I made a few PAs for the Passengers; assuring them there was no cause for alarm for our return to ZZZ1 and that we were coordinating for another aircraft to take them to ZZZ. Planned and performed an ILS to XYR; transitioned to a Visual (G/S was unreliable); Flaps 30 landing (139 Ref / 145 Target) which was surprisingly smooth and uneventful; including rollout and braking; using maximum reverse thrust. Overweight landing was 213;000 lbs.; 15;000 lbs. over maximum. All brake temps were 2 or less after the flight. Flight/Weather conditions were VMC with haze/smog restricting visibility but not significantly adversely affecting VFR operations. We debriefed Maintenance with all indications we experienced with the electrical failures. Indicated that it seemed to be 15 seconds before the R GEN took the full electrical load with associated load shedding. Also; noted that time compression associated with stress situations during this event might actually reveal the event was less than 15 seconds of electrical failure while flying on standby instruments. We were met and individually evaluated for fitness of duty to continue by ZZZ1 Personnel; debriefed with ZZZ [Personnel] andelected to continue with another aircraft later in the day to ZZZ.
Second reporter narrative
The Preflight procedures were normal and the only issue we faced before push back was a wheels-up delay from ATC going to ZZZ. We pushed back; made our way towards runway [Runway] XXR and held on [Taxiway] for approximately 10 minutes prior to departure. Before Takeoff and Takeoff procedures were normal. Shortly after takeoff; around 1000 ft. MSL or so; the primary flight displays blanked and we experienced significant power loss. For approximately 15 seconds; the aircraft cycled power and we had multiple EICAS messages visible when power was actually available. The Captain maintained aircraft control while I continued performing PM (Pilot Monitoring) duties. Once everything settled down and we were safely flying; we analyzed the situation and recognized the threat. Our left generator was offline. We coordinated with the FAs (Flight Attendants) and complied with the QRH. The APU was available but the left generator did not come back online. We decided to stay in the ZZZ1 area. At this time; the Captain transferred aircraft control/ATC communication to me and worked with ZZZ1 station; Dispatch and Maintenance Control. They agreed it was the safest option to return to ZZZ1 and have the aircraft analyzed by Maintenance. Originally; we were hesitant to land quickly due to our weight. We decided to fly west over the water; establish holding outside ATC corridors and burn some fuel to reduce our weight. We communicated our concern with Maintenance but they assured us overweight landings were safe and we decided to land around 213;000 lbs. We complied with the QRH; received landing data from Dispatch and coordinated to land on XYR which is significantly longer than XXL. During this entire ordeal; the Captain did a phenomenal job keeping the FAs and passengers comprised of our situation. The weather was VMC (slightly hazy) and the Captain flew the ILS XYR flawlessly. Even at our weight; touchdown and rollout were effortless and the brake temperatures remained 2 or below. All after landing and parking procedures were normal and we described our situation to Maintenance once they boarded the aircraft. The Captain and I remained calm and collected during the entire 1+30 flight. We did not rush the situation; maintained aircraft control and ensured all parties (ATC; FAs; passengers; company) were aware of what was happening on board the aircraft. Safety was the number 1 priority and we worked methodically to ensure all checklists were complete in a timely manner. I cannot say enough about the professionalism of Captain NAME. He did a phenomenal job and I was proud to assist him as the First Officer.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.