B737 flight crew reported receiving an overheat annunication for #2 engine during departure climb. Flight crew reduced thrust on affected engine and returned to departure airport.
Synopsis
B737 flight crew reported receiving an overheat annunication for #2 engine during departure climb. Flight crew reduced thrust on affected engine and returned to departure airport.
Narrative
Company X Flight XXX took off for ZZZ uneventfully. At about 2000 feet a master caution light indicated a number 2 engine overheat. The aircraft path and engine instruments were verified. Nothing abnormal was noted with engine 2 other then the overheat light. Immediate action items were accomplished by the pilot flying. Auto-throttle was disengaged and thrust lever was closed. As the number 2 engine thrust was reduced; the engine 2 overheat light extinguished. Airplane was trimmed out for new thrust settings. A [priority handling was requested] to air traffic control and we were given vectors while checklists were accomplished. The pilot monitoring; first officer; then went into the QRH (Quick Reference Handbook) to address the remainder of the Engine Overheat checklist. The captain notified dispatch of a need to divert back to ZZZ1 due to the engine malfunction and was instructed to notify Maintenance Control of the event. Flight attendants were given a briefing and passengers were notified. A plan was developed amongst the crew as how to proceed forward. The number 2 engine was operating normally at the reduced power state and no engine indication abnormalities were noted. The engine overheat checklist dead ends and the crew made the appropriate decisions. It was clear that returning to ZZZ1 was inevitable but questions arose as to if the one engine inoperative landing should be accomplished with the assumption of a possible further degradation of the engine as a possibility. The captain knew it would take about 10 minutes of air time to run through that checklist this way the airplane was prepped in the event engine 2 failed or needed to be shutdown. At that moment the; Captain and crew did not want to do a precautionary shut down of the engine considering it was providing thrust and operating normally in its reduced thrust state. The captain and crew also wanted to minimize time spent in the air due to the nature of the [priority handling]. With input from the first officer and fellow Company X 737 pilot who was occupying the jump seat on a commute; the captain made a decision to do an overweight landing with the number 2 engine operating at less then half power to keep it from overheating further. This resulted in a normal/overweight flaps 30 landing with engine power on the number two engine low enough to avoid the overheat light. The agreement the crew had with this decision was that if the engine condition deteriorated from now until landing we would do a precautionary shutdown/ leave the engine at idle thrust and then prep and brief the one engine inoperative landing checklist. Should we need to go missed for any reason; we would execute a single engine go around and get set up for a single engine approach if the condition of the engine warranted it. This would have been to protect the number 2 engine from going full thrust in a normal go around and potentially overheating again. At current state the captain felt as if the thrust setting was enough to conduct a normal flap 30 landing approach and the engine overheat checklist does allow for a reduced thrust (other then idle) setting to avoid the light. We executed the approach and landing uneventfully. Crash fire rescue met the airplane just off the runway and inspected the aircraft. The airplane taxied to the gate.
Second reporter narrative
During departure from ZZZ1 RWY XXL; passing through 2;000 ft; we observed an overheat annunciation for engine #2. We executed the immediate action items and the remainder of the (NG) Engine OVERHEAT checklist. Overheat light was extinguished as soon as the power was reduced.[Priority handling was requested]; overweight landing accomplished; engine shutdown after landing; and Fire Dept checked the engine for signs of overheat after landing. Taxied to gate after FD (Flight Deck) inspection.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.