Air carrier flight crew reported bird ingestion in the engine on takeoff climb. Flight returned to airport.
Synopsis
Air carrier flight crew reported bird ingestion in the engine on takeoff climb. Flight returned to airport.
Narrative
We took off from runway XXL. At approximately 400 feet a large bird was ingested by the number 1 engine. I immediately called my aircraft. The airplane was not yawing; the ECAM showed a caution message that said something like engine outside of normal parameters". The ITT (Interstage Turbine Temperaure) was in the yellow and the engine was showing a vibration of 8. I stated; the engine is still producing thrust; I want to keep it running. The engine was sounding odd; but producing near normal thrust.The captain [requested priority handling] to ZZZZ tower. They told him to contact departure. He switched to departure and told them we were following a company procedure and turning to heading 180 (in anticipation of the engine failing). We were told to turn to heading 030 and climb to 7;000 feet. The captain repeated that we were [requesting priority handling] due to a bird strike to the number 1 engine and need to return to ZZZZ immediately for a landing on XXR. At acceleration altitude; I reduced the trust to climb and retracted the flaps to zero.The controller instructed us to turned to a heading of 090 and maintain 7;000. The captain repeated to the controller that we were a aircraft [requesting priority handling] and needed to land as soon possible. Finally; the controller turned us to a heading of 210. We told the controller that we needed to descend. We were cleared to 4;100 feet. At about 5;000 feet the captain noticed an aircraft only 500 feet below us and very close to us. We briefly leveled off. The controller then cleared us direct to ZZZZZ; down to 1;700 feet and cleared us for the ILS Y XXR. I had to lower the landing gear to increase the rate of decent. As we decelerated; we lowered the flaps each time we got 10 knots below the maximum speed for the next configuration. We got fully configured just before ZZZZZ. Knowing that it would be an overweight landing; the APU was started.The captain checked in with ZZZZ tower; repeated that we were an aircraft [requesting priority handling] and that we intended to stop on the runway; for the fire trucks to inspect us. After we came to a stop on the runway; the tower told us to exit at [taxiway] 1. The captain told them "Negative; we want the fire trucks to check us here." We shut down engine 1; while they inspected the aircraft.While the captain was talking to the tower; at the captain's instruction; I made a PA to the passengers to remain seated and that they might see safety vehicles outside the aircraft checking the aircraft. After being told that there was no indication of fire we taxied off the runway and contacted ZZZZ ground.Ground control told us to taxi to gate XX; via 2; 3; 4. I asked the controller to confirm the gate assignment. The controller confirmed gate XX. We taxied to the gate; where the marshallers had us stop about 75 feet short of the jet bridge. After some difficult to interpret hand signals and numerous attempts to contact operations on the radio; someone finally plugged in a headset. We were informed that we had been sent to the wrong gate and that "airport protocol" required us to shutdown the operating engine for them to again inspect the aircraft and that we would be towed back to gate XY.While the captain was coordinating all of this; I made numerous PAs to the passengers informing them of the inspection and that we would be towed to the gate from which we had originally departed. I repeated it was important to remain seated and that we would deplane normally at the gate.We were finally towed to gate XY; where the passengers deplaned.My reason for writing this report is the way that ATC handled everything. We had to repeat numerous times and on each new frequency that we were [requesting priority handling] and that we needed to land immediately. It never seemed like they expedited our handling. We should not have needed to climb to 7;000 nor been vectored so far from the airport. They should nothave asked us to vacate the runway. Finally; they should not have sent us to gate XY.The causal factor was the bird strike to the engine. The biggest recommendation is that ATC needs to give [priority] aircraft priority handling."
Second reporter narrative
We departed Runway XXL at ZZZZ for a normal takeoff roll and climb out. At around 400 feet AGL we encounter a flock of giant buzzards in which at least one if not two were ingested into the left engine. There was an immediate loud bang; followed by severe vibration and an instant smell in the cabin. I [requested priority handling] with the tower controller. He then told me to contact departure control. I immediately started to comply with the company engine out procedure. I checked in with departure and told him we were turning heading 180 to comply with a company procedure. The departure controller had no idea I was a [priority] aircraft; in which I had to [request priority handling] once again. The controller had no idea how to handle a [priority] aircraft attempting to turn us away from the airport multiple times. We declined and insisted that we wanted to get on the ground as soon as possible. We climbed to 7000 feet as instructed and told him we needed to be on the ground as soon as possible. I made an announcement to the passengers stating we were returning and we'd be on ground in just a few minutes. They then turned us onto a dog leg downwind at 7000 feet. They had us extend downwind at which I [requested priority handling] once again and said something along the lines of I don't know what you don't understand about us being a [priority] aircraft; I need the airplane on the ground. He gave us a base turn and a descent. During the descent I noticed a TCAS alert at 12 o clock and 2 miles. He was climbing and about 500 feet below us and we were descending what I felt was right into another aircraft. I immediately reached up and pushed the level off button and somehow managed to miss them. We never saw the other aircraft but I can specifically remember going through some small wake turbulence. This level off resulted in us being high on the approach. We dropped the gear immediately and configured as soon as we could. We crossed the outer marker a few hundred feet high but was stable by 1000 and on speed. When I checked in with the tower controller I explained we would be stopping on the runway and I wanted CFR (Crash Fire Rescue) to come and inspect the airplane for fire or fluids and check my brakes. We landed overweight with a normal touchdown. Once we stopped on the runway and set the brake; we immediately shut down the left engine. Tower refused to send the fire trucks onto the runway. I demanded that the aircraft wasn't moving until I get inspected. They eventually came out maybe 7 or 8 minutes later in which time I could have been on fire or who knows what. When they came out and inspected the airplane and let me know there were no signs of fire or fluids; we taxied off with just the right engine past the hold short bars. Once we cleared the hold short bars they performed another inspection and told us to contact ground. We contacted ground on taxiway Q and they gave us clearance to taxi to gate XX via 1 2 3. We then asked her to clarify the gate. She responded with the same clearance. We taxied to gate XX and nosed the airplane onto the line to pull into the gate where we saw three marshallers holding up the X wands. After about 15 minutes of having no idea what the ground personnel were doing; the ground controller reached out and said we were supposed to go to gate XY and they apologized for the confusion. We were then towed around the terminal to gate XX and the passengers deplaned by jetbridge.We complied with all checklists and ECAM procedure.My FO was a complete rockstar in his flying skills and with the 2 of us; we managed to save everyone's lives. For this reason there always needs to be 2 pilots up front. I feel that if there was only 1 of us up there; the results may have not been the same. My crew in the back also made a huge difference keeping order in the back while both had our hands full flying the plane and doing checklists. At the end of the day I am super thankful things turned out the way they did. That being said I am hoping that the situation with air traffic can be looked at so in case something like this happens again; it will be handled much more efficiently. Air traffic failed us in almost every way possible.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.