Air carrier flight crew reported on takeoff roll they experienced a compressor stall resulting in a rejected takeoff and return to the gate.
Synopsis
Air carrier flight crew reported on takeoff roll they experienced a compressor stall resulting in a rejected takeoff and return to the gate.
Narrative
The Captain was PF and I was PM. Preflight and taxi out for departure were all SOP and normal. ATIS was advertising gusty winds out of the west with a departure on XXR. Because of the gusty winds; we elected for a max thrust departure with reduced V speeds and rotation at VR Max per FM (Flight Manual) procedures. We got cleared for takeoff on XXR and the captain advanced the power to ~1.10 EPR (Engine Pressure Ratio) and called for auto throttles after they stabilized. The thrust advanced to max EPR and the Captain called for check thrust". I responded with "thrust set". Approximately 1 second later and at an airspeed somewhere between 40-60 knots we heard a loud bang and slight yaw; that seemed to come from the nose gear. The Captain immediately rejected the takeoff and I informed ATC. The Relief Pilot made the remain seated PA. We exited slowly at the next taxiway and stopped the aircraft on taxiway 1. We completed the rejected takeoff QRC/QRH. The nose wheel and nose wheel steering felt normal. Airport Ops vehicles surrounded the aircraft and inspected it. They stated everything seemed normal. We contacted Mx and requested maintenance personnel to come out and inspect the nose wheel and gear before continued taxi. Maintenance personnel came out to the airplane and said everything looked normal to them and they cleared us to taxi back to the gate for further troubleshooting. While we were taxiing back to the gate; the purser called us and informed us that a passenger saw an orange burst come out of the left engine right before we rejected. We passed this information along to MX and they checked the ECS/MSG page and saw an L ENG SURGE DET message. This further verified that the bang we heard was likely a compressor stall. We informed the FAs and passengers that this plane would be out of service and deplaning commenced at the gate. The flight was delayed and we therefore surpassed our max duty limits."
Second reporter narrative
Following a normal gate departure; engine start and taxi we were cleared to lineup and wait on runway XXR at intersection 1. Due to the strong and gusty crosswinds we elected to conduct a full thrust takeoff using an increased Vr. After receiving the takeoff clearance I released the brakes; advanced the thrust levers and called for auto throttles. As the engines spooled up to full thrust we heard 2 loud bangs and a noticeable jarring/jolt that seemingly came from the front of the aircraft. We conducted a rejected takeoff and slowed to a slow taxi speed on the centerline of the runway. There were no noticeable yaw or handling issues during the event. The tower controller cleared us to exit the runway to the left onto taxiway 2. (I believe we exited at taxiway 3) I slowed the taxi speed to a near stop before exiting because of concerns of nose gear or tire damage and the aircraft seemed to taxi and turn normally. After stopping the aircraft we completed the RTO (Rejected Takeoff) checklist. There were no EiCAS or STATUS messages displayed and no messages or abnormal engine indications were noticed during the event. Discussions among the flight deck crew focused on a potential blown tire; nose gear issue; loose equipment in the E&E bay or loose cargo in the forward cargo hold.We called station maintenance; advised them of the situation and requested they meet the aircraft at our current position to conduct an inspection prior to taxiing back to the gate. While waiting for mx; personnel met the aircraft and did a brief visual inspection. they informed us that all tires looked good and they saw no visible damage. After ZZZ Maintenance completed their initial inspection; we opted to return to the gate for a more thorough investigation.During the taxi back to the gate a flight attendant notified us that a passenger reported seeing flames at the rear of the engine during the takeoff roll.The taxi to the gate was otherwise uneventful.After completing the parking checklist the Relief Pilot selected the ECS (Environmental Control System) page from the mx/observer panel and the message L ENG SURGE" was displayed. Maintenance was notified."
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.