B737-800
Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Situational Awareness
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical
Flight Crew Landed As Precaution; Flight Crew Returned To Departure Airport; General Maintenance Action; General Flight Cancelled / Delayed
Procedure; Aircraft
Aircraft had left pack deferred and off. Right pack seemed to be functioning normally. Normal climb out [from the high elevation airport] via radar vectors. Passing approximately 13;000 feet; Bleed Trip Off light illuminated; cabin pressure was lost; and cabin altitude horn sounded and light illuminated. I immediately began a descent to 10;000 feet. FO got his oxygen mask on and informed ATC. We were cleared to 10;000 feet. Because we were roughly on a downwind and close to the airport; I elected to return to the airport instead of following the QRH procedures. Storms moving into the area was another reason to return. We landed without incident. We completed all checklists normally. Not an overweight landing. This occurred because maintenance allowed a single pack aircraft to operate to a high elevation airport with anti-ice use required. When the right pack kicked off; we were unpressurized.  Although the MEL allows for pack deferral; in this case it was a bad decision to allow it. It should have been fixed not deferred. Suggestions: Don't operate single pack to a high elevation runway.
When the AML was checked we saw the left A/C Pack was deferred and completely out of service and cannot provide any air at all. We made a mental note of that [and] pulled out the proper checklist for one pack operation for takeoff and landing. The takeoff was normal until we did the checklist to reconfigure the air conditioning system. When the checklist was accomplished; the Bleed Trip light on the right side illuminated. The cabin rate indicated the cabin was now climbing at the same rate of the aircraft. I advised the Captain that the I couldn't control the cabin and we decided to return to the airport since we were still in close proximity of our departure airport.
B737-800 flight crew reported they were dispatched with one pack inoperative; and they elected to return to departure airport after the remaining pack failed because of a bleed trip.