2010-08 · NASA ASRS report 904728
A B737-300 flight crew diverted to a nearby airport when the left engine experienced multiple compressor stalls and ultimately shutdown.
We were in cruise flight at FL330. Two compressor stalls were followed shortly by many stalls (approximately ten to twelve). We determined which engine and pulled it to idle. The engine seemed to operate normally at idle. We decided to leave the engine in idle for the rest of the flight. During coordination for the divert and while we were performing the QRH checklist; the left engine decided to shut itself down. We got the APU up for generator use on the left side and started in on the Single Engine Landing Checklist. Because of this; I forgot to shut the engine off while at altitude. Approximately 35 NM from landing; I took the aircraft from the First Officer for landing set up and noticed the start lever was still up. I coordinated with the First Officer to shut it off. The Single Engine Checklist was completed on the final.There was some confusion on the final to the runway. Approach put a B757 in front of us. Due to our increased airspeed for the flaps 15 landing; we closed on the B757 rapidly and some discussions were had on breaking the B757 out to another runway. This discussion; although necessary; was not what I wanted to hear while on final for a single engine landing. My First Officer wanted me to land on the longer runway all along; but I wanted to keep everything as normal as possible. We ended up taking the longer runway; which ended up being the better idea due to our extreme heavy weight with only one reverser. The aircraft was checked by the Fire Department for hot brakes and any other problems. The aircraft was taxied back to the gate. I should have made the decision to land on the longer runway from the beginning. We were a very heavy weight and the very hot temperatures at the airport would mean a long landing rollout. I did not take all of this into my initial planning for the landing.
I was the First Officer flying at FL330 using the 'B' autopilot at the time of the incident. We heard a loud bang with an associated aircraft jolt. We quickly scanned the instruments and a series of multiple bangs followed which the Captain identified as compressor stalls. We quickly determined that the number one engine was the problem as N1 rolled back to approximately 65% N1. I performed the memory items for Engine Surge/Stall while we further analyzed the problem. I continued to fly while the Captain ran the checklist. It became apparent that we could not maintain altitude because of our weight. I started a descent and coordinated for lower. (The altitude deviation was not more than a couple hundred feet as our request was quickly approved.) The Center told us the closest airports and we quickly determined that ZZZ was the best option (130 NM). The Center cleared us through the restricted areas and most of the remainder of the flight was coordinated through Approach Control. I heard the Captain running the checklists; but was not as attentive as I should/could have been. By the time I heard that the checklist was complete; it appeared that N2 was zero. The Captain briefed the approach and took the aircraft on downwind at about 10;000 MSL. I should have followed up to ensure all items of the QRH were complete; but I did not. Soon after the transfer of the aircraft control; the Captain placed the throttle to cutoff. We never pulled the fire handle (as required in the Engine Seizure Checklist). About three miles from the threshold; we decided to land on the right runway after the traffic on the left was causing spacing issues (a heavy -757). We did not use autobrakes for the flaps 15 landing contrary to the flight manual because of the concern for hot brakes and the overweight landing. The Captain landed uneventfully; we cleared near the end; and were cleared by the fire department. The checklists could have been run more methodically and called for by name. During the checklist and after completion; the other pilot (myself in this case) should have referred to the checklist to ensure all items had been accomplished. Also; using autobrakes more frequently will cause us to make that the default and really make it a conscious decision not to use them.
More incidents for this aircraft family
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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