FLC OF AN MD80 RETURNED TO LAND AFTER TWR CTLR SAID THAT SPARKS WERE OBSERVED COMING OUT OF THE L ENG DURING TKOF. ANOTHER ACR TAKING OFF ON THE OTHER PARALLEL RWY TO THE L REAR ALSO ADVISED OF SPARKS COMING FROM THE ENG.

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FLT AC WAS SCHEDULED FROM SAN FRANCISCO TO SEATTLE. PUSHBACK; STARTUP OF ENGS AND TAXI OUT WERE ALL NORMAL. TKOF WAS FROM RWY 1R WITH AN ACR Y B737 DEPARTING ON PARALLEL RWY 1L ALONGSIDE. AFTER ROTATION; TWR ADVISED US OF SPARKS COMING OUT OUR L ENG. SPARKS ALSO CONFIRMED BY ACR Y B737 NOW JUST AFT L AND SLIGHTLY BELOW. ALL ENG INSTS INDICATED NORMAL. DECLARED EMER WITH TWR AND WAS CLRED FOR R DOWNWIND TO RWY 28R. CONTINUED TO LEAVE ENG RUNNING BECAUSE ATTEMPTING TO SHUT DOWN A 'POSSIBLE' FAULTY OR MALFUNCTIONING ENG WITHOUT THE APPROPRIATE INDICATIONS IN THE COCKPIT COULD LEAD TO SHUTTING DOWN THE WRONG ENG. MADE NORMAL APCH AND LNDG AND TAXI BACK TO GATE WITH EMER VEHICLES ESCORTING. TOTAL TIME AIRBORNE APPROX 7 MINS. MAINT FOUND METAL PARTICLES IN EXHAUST AREA. THINGS I LEARNED FROM THIS: HUMAN PERFORMANCE CONSIDERATIONS -- WHILE MOST EVERYONE CAN WALK AND CHEW GUM; I BELIEVE VERY FEW PLTS CAN FLY AND AT THE SAME TIME MAKE GOOD COMMAND DECISIONS. IT BECAME VERY APPARENT TO ME AS I WAS FLYING AND THE TWR AND MY FO WERE BOMBARDING ME AS TO MY INTENTIONS WHILE I WAS TRYING TO ANALYZE THE PROB AND MAINTAIN CTL OF THE ACFT. REALIZING THIS; I IMMEDIATELY XFERRED FLYING RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE FO. THIS REDUCED MY WORKLOAD TREMENDOUSLY AND I WAS NOW FREE TO 'DIRECT' THE FLT RATHER THAN WORK THE FLT. I HAD FO HANDLE COM WITH ATC WHILE I GOT ON THE FLT INTERPHONE TO QUICKLY BRIEF THE FLT ATTENDANTS. THEN I GOT ON THE PA AND TOLD THE PAX WHAT WAS GOING ON. THEN I CALLED COMPANY TO TELL THEM I WAS RETURNING. THEN I RAN ALL THE APPROPRIATE CHKLISTS. AFTER I FELT I HAD 'CHKED ALL THE BLOCKS' I TOOK OVER ATC FROM THE FO AND EVERYTHING CONCLUDED SUCCESSFULLY. SHORT FUSED EMERS SUCH AS THIS ARE A TRUE LITMUS TEST ON CREW RESOURCE MGMNT. THE TRAINING I RECEIVED IN CRM FROM MY COMPANY WAS INVALUABLE IN HANDLING THIS EMER. FEEL FREE TO CALL ME FOR TESTIMONIALS.