ACFT EQUIP PROB. L ENG OIL STRAINER CLOG MESSAGE ANNUNCIATED ON PANEL. AFTER BOOK PROCS FOLLOWED AND THE MESSAGE STILL ON; THE ENG WAS SHUT DOWN; EMER DECLARED AND ACFT RETURNED TO DEP ARPT.

Narrative

ON DEP FROM ATLANTA; CLBING OUT PASSING FL180; THE L ENG OIL STRAINER CLOG MESSAGE ON THE OVERHEAD ANNUNCIATOR PANEL ILLUMINATED. THE ACFT WAS IN THE PROCESS OF LEVELING OFF AND THE THROTTLES WERE RETARDING FROM CLB PWR. AS THE PWR CAME BACK THE MESSAGE WENT OUT. 10 SECONDS LATER THE MESSAGE REILLUMINATED. WE FOLLOWED THE OIL STRAINER CLOG IN FLT PROC IN OUR PLTS OPERATING MANUAL. THE OIL STRAINER CLOG LIGHT WOULD NOT EXTINGUISH FOLLOWING THIS PROC. THE PLTS OPERATING MANUAL THEN REFERRED US TO THE ENG FAILURE/SHUTDOWN/DAMAGE CHKLIST ON PAGE 6 OF PWR PLANT SECTION. IN ACCORDANCE WITH THIS WE SHUT DOWN THE L ENG WHILE DIVERTING BACK TO ATLANTA HARTSFIELD (ATL). WE ELECTED AND COORDINATED A LNDG ON THE LONGEST AVAILABLE RWY 27R. EMER EQUIP WAS REQUESTED AND STANDING BY. PRIORITY HANDLING WAS REQUESTED AND RECEIVED. AN EMER WAS DECLARED IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE MESSAGE ON THE OVERHEAD ANNUNCIATOR CAME BACK ON. AN UNEVENTFUL APCH AND LNDG TOOK PLACE. THE ACFT THEN TAXIED BACK TO THE GATE UNDER ITS OWN PWR.