B737-700
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Distraction; Troubleshooting; Confusion
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance; Aircraft Aircraft Damaged; Flight Crew Landed in Emergency Condition; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification; Flight Crew Returned To Departure Airport; General Maintenance Action
Aircraft
On takeoff roll; just prior to rotation; the aircraft began to shake very hard. The shake continued until after liftoff. We initially thought the nose tire had failed. We left the landing gear and flaps in the takeoff configuration; informed Tower of the possible blown tire and requested a vector to a holding pattern to evaluate the situation. We requested that the runway be inspected for debris and the findings reported back to us. Tower confirmed tire debris on the runway. Flight Attendants and Passengers were notified of the situation. Dispatch; Maintenance; Ops; and the Chief Pilot on Call were all made aware of the situation via conference call. I made the decision to recover the aircraft at ZZZ. We coordinated for and performed a fly-by of the Tower to evaluate the condition of the landing gear. Tower and Airfield Ops reported that the nose gear appeared intact and the wheels were aligned with the centerline of the aircraft. After the flyby; Airfield Ops/Maintenance identified the tire debris to be from a main landing gear tire. We then assumed that it was a main landing gear tire that had failed. Using all of our available resources we formulated the following plan: -Stay in holding and burn down gas to below max landing weight; -Have all available Crash; Fire and Rescue resources standing by for assistance; -Utilize Runway to avoid any of the airfield terrain on the west side of the airport; should the aircraft depart the runway on the landing roll; -Have the Flight Attendants prepare the cabin and brief the Passengers for an emergency landing and possible evacuation; -Stop on the runway and have the Ground resources evaluate our condition prior to clearing the runway or having the aircraft towed back; depending on the severity of the vibration on the landing roll. We burned fuel in holding until approaching our desired landing weight. Approximately fifteen minutes prior to landing we instructed the Flight Attendants to 'Prepare the Cabin.' After completing their checklist items they reported the cabin prepared and we proceeded with our approach to Runway. The approach was uneventful. Upon touchdown; the aircraft began to shake as the main tires started to spin. The intensity of the shake was enough to eject annunciator lights from the cockpit overhead panel and deploy at least one oxygen panel from the roof of the cabin. Directional control was not a significant issue. After stopping; Crash; Fire; Rescue inspected the aircraft and reported no fire or significant damage other than the shredded number 2 main landing gear tire. We informed the Flight Attendants and Passengers that there was no danger. The cabin was secured. We elected to be towed back to the gate because of the vibration experienced during the landing roll. We had coordinated for a tug to be positioned near the landing runway while still in the holding pattern. It took a half hour for the tug to arrive. We were then towed to the gate. Dispatch; Maintenance; Chief Pilot on Call; Tower and Crew Scheduling were all debriefed. A logbook entry was made and all Maintenance questions were answered prior to leaving the scene.
[Report narrative contained no additional information.]
Boeing 737 flight crew reported a significant airframe vibration right after takeoff. Suspecting a blown tire; the crew reduced the gross weight of the aircraft and returned to the departure airport.