A B757 EXPERIENCES LOUD BANG ON TKOF LGA. SMOKE FILLS COCKPIT. CREW DECLARES EMER AND RETURNS TO LAND. EVAC ON RWY AFTER ACFT STOPPED.

Narrative

DURING INITIAL CLB FROM RWY 4 AT LGA (RIGHT AFTER GEAR RETRACTION) EXPERIENCED LOUD BANG AND MOMENTARY YAW OF ACFT. INITIAL IMPRESSION OF BOTH CAPT AND FO WAS THAT SOMETHING HIT L SIDE OF ACFT. WITHIN SECONDS OF BANG; COCKPIT FILLED WITH SMOKE. DECLARED EMER; REQUESTED VECTORS TO JFK FOR IMMEDIATE LNDG. FLT ATTENDANTS CALLED AND RPTED CABIN FULL OF SMOKE. PRIMARY CONCERN WAS FLYING ACFT WITH POOR VISIBILITY BECAUSE OF SMOKE AND LNDG ASAP BECAUSE OF UNKNOWN SOURCE OF SMOKE AND CONCERN THAT FIRE MIGHT FOLLOW THE SMOKE PRETTY QUICKLY. LANDED ON RWY 13R JFK; STOPPED ON RWY AND INITIATED EVAC. EVAC PROCEEDED SMOOTHLY WITH NO INJURIES. A PRIMARY OBSERVATION AND LESSON FROM THIS EVENT IS THIS: SMOKE CAN OCCUR SO QUICKLY AND IN SUCH VOLUME THAT IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO GET BOTH OXYGEN MASK EYE GOGGLES ON PRIOR TO SMOKE SATURATION. THE SMOKE WE EXPERIENCED WAS NOT TOXIC. IF IT HAD BEEN; WE WOULD HAVE HAD TOXIC SMOKE INSIDE GOGGLES WITH NO WAY TO REMOVE IT PROPERLY OR QUICKLY ENOUGH. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT ACRS SELECT A FULL FACE (QUICK DONNING) MASK THAT CAN BE WORN OVER GLASSES. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: ON CALLBACK; RPTR STATES THAT THE PROBABLE CAUSE OF THE LOUD BANG WAS IMPENDING DISINTEGRATION OF THE PORT ENG IN THE AREA OF THE 6TH STAGE HIGH PRESSURE COMPRESSOR. HE STATES THAT THE SMOKE WAS THE RESULT OF AN OIL SEAL FAILING IN THE L ENG AND REITERATES HOW INSTANTANEOUS WAS THE APPEARANCE OF THE SMOKE. THIS RPTR HAS SOME EXPERIENCE IN THE TRAINING DEPT OF THE COMPANY AND HAS KNOWLEDGE THAT FOR OVER 1 YR THE COMPANY HAS BEEN LOOKING INTO THE POSSIBILITY OF OBTAINING FULL FACE; QUICK DONNING SMOKE/OXYGEN MASKS. HE ALSO THINKS THAT ECONOMIC REASONS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE NON ACQUISITION OF SAME. HE STATES THAT A MORE NEWS WORTHY EVENT MIGHT ACTUALLY PRECIPITATE SUCH A PURCHASE. THE RPTR WAS VERY PLEASED WITH THE PROFESSIONALISM OF THE FLC; CABIN CREW; AND THE ASSISTANCE PROVIDED BY ATC DURING THIS HAZARDOUS INCIDENT.