B737-700
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Situational Awareness
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical
Flight Crew Returned To Departure Airport; General Maintenance Action
Aircraft
As we rotated the Left Engine reverser light and master caution illuminated. We leveled at 5;000 MSL; completed the climb check and ran the QRH. We contacted the Company and Maintenance said the reverser should not deploy. However; a QRH note said additional system failures may cause in flight deployment thus; although Maintenance said it would be OK to continue; the First Officer and I agreed it was not safe to fly three hours over water. We all agreed for safety of flight to return and fix the problem. We completed an in range and approach brief; landed; and wrote up the reverser and our overweight landingAfter landing the left engine reverser was pinned and an overweight landing check completed.
[Narrative #2 contained no additional information.]
When the left engine reverser and master caution lights illuminated shortly after takeoff the flight crew elected to return to their departure airport for maintenance attention.