Date: 201311
Local time of day: 1801-2400
Location: ZZZ.Airport, US
Flight conditions: IMC
Weather elements / visibility: 1
Light: Night
Aircraft: B737-700
Operator: Air Carrier
Operating under: Part 121
Flight plan: IFR
Mission: Passenger
Flight phase: Climb
Airspace: Class B ZZZ
ATC / advisory: TRACON ZZZ
Aircraft component: Turbine Engine
Component problem: Malfunctioning
Reporter organization: Air Carrier
Reporter function: Pilot Not Flying; Captain
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Anomaly: Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical
Detector: Person Flight Crew
When detected: In-flight
Result: Flight Crew Returned To Departure Airport; General Declared Emergency
Contributing factors: Aircraft
Primary problem: Aircraft

Narrative: I noticed the aircraft had not flown for two days and had been written up for right engine stalls and loud bangs on climbout; however; Maintenance had signed it off. We accomplished all Before Start; Push; Taxi; and Takeoff checklists normally. As we retracted the gear after takeoff we experienced what felt like a large bird smashing into the left side of the nose; one loud bang. All engine instruments where normal and we continued climbing. A few moments later; around 7;000 MSL; there were three or more loud bangs accompanied with a slight yaw. The First Officer was the Pilot Flying and immediately applied the Engine Limit/Surge/Stall Immediate Action items.All engine indications normal. We kept the engine running and leveled off at 10;000. I reported our issue to Departure and requested vectors to the ILS Runway 35L. We had just briefed and shot that ILS on our inbound flight. The flight attendants were very concerned about the banging noise and knew something was not normal. They had rung the flight deck and after I had communicated with Departure I answered their call. I informed them the right engine wasn't performing normally and we were going to return to [our departure airport] and make a normal landing. 'All is good and I'm about to make a PA.' I briefed the passengers and advised we would make a normal landing and I would speak to them again when we arrived at the gate. I also made a quick call to airport Operations and informed them we were returning; so they could start the process of getting us a gate and contacting Dispatch. The First Officer was doing a very nice job flying the aircraft and after we looked at the Engine Limit/Surge/Stall Checklist in the QRH we decided to leave the engine running and run the One Engine Inoperative Landing Checklist just in case we had to shut down the engine. At some point we received an Off Scheduled Descent master caution and I ran that checklist as well. The controllers initiated an emergency for us and started vectoring us for an ILS 35R. I entered that approach into the CDU and briefed it. The weather was 300 overcast; visibility one mile in fog. After running the landing data; all the appropriate checklists and briefing the approach; I took over the Pilot Flying duties; shot the ILS 35R; made a normal landing; and taxied to the gate.On a return to the departing airport an Off Schedule Descent light is expected. More information in the QRH would be helpful to ensure the landing pressurization is correct. Our original destination altitude was 750 FT (MSL) and we landed back at our departure airport which is several thousand feet higher. When all the checklists were run and the approach briefed; the aircraft was still pressurizing to 750 FT. We selected manual opening the out flow valve after discovering this problem while taxiing in.


Second narrative: Concern is that myself and 'C' flight attendant were told directly; 'Probably should not be telling you this; but this aircraft had been in maintenance last 2 days and was pulled out of service for exactly same emergency situation that we just had and had to divert and return to gate. Fuel leak in engine housing causing visible flames from passengers in cabin and extreme turbulence from engine stopping/restarting/back-firing.'Would like to know who serviced this aircraft? What was found? Was it even fixed? Definitely feel test flight should have been done before sending pax and crew out on first flight after this happened


Synopsis: A B737-700 crew experienced compressor stalls on climbout and return to the departure airport. The aircraft had been signed off as airworthy after a previous flight had experienced compressor stalls.