Qantas A380 flew to US and back with maintenance light left in wing

A work light was inadvertently left inside the wing of a Qantas A380, which subsequently completed multiple international journeys before the tool was discovered. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) concluded that this incident stemmed from a breakdown in Qantas' processes. In response, Qantas has implemented a working group and revised its tool-control procedures.

An A380 was approved to transport passengers on a Sydney-to-Dallas flight despite the large maintenance light remaining inside its wing. This follows a previous 2023 incident where a substantial tool was overlooked inside an A380 engine, only discovered after multiple international trips had been completed. The ATSB discovered that the 33-centimeter light had been left behind following maintenance on the aircraft's air-conditioning system in Sydney on January 7.

The aircraft then traveled to Dallas-Fort Worth and back before maintenance staff identified the missing light and retrieved it from the wing two days later. The ATSB's final report emphasized that while the light did not inflict any damage on the wing, foreign objects present a significant threat to an aircraft's safe operation.

ATSB chief commissioner Angus Mitchell attributed the incident to a breakdown in tool accountability processes, asserting that even well-established processes can be compromised when they depend solely on human performance, particularly during maintenance tasks often conducted in challenging environments and under operational pressures.

The ATSB stated that Qantas has introduced a safety directive to amend its tooling control processes and procedures and has established a tooling working group. Qantas affirmed that the light had no effect on the aircraft's operation and voluntarily reported the incident to the ATSB. Since the event, Qantas has enhanced its tool-control procedures, incorporating a mandatory pre-clearance check to verify that all tooling is accounted for following maintenance.

This is the second incident involving a tool left in one of the airline's super jumbos. In December 2023, a Qantas A380 completed several international trips before a 1.25-meter nylon turning tool was discovered in one of the plane's engines. An ATSB report revealed that maintenance staff lost the turning tool in an A380's outboard engine, and it was not found until after the plane had been authorized for service, having completed multiple trips between Australia and the US.

Recent concerns about unaccounted-for objects inside an aircraft, irrespective of their size, have been highlighted by CQUniversity aviation expert associate professor Steven Leib. He emphasized that these items may shift during flight, potentially jeopardizing flight safety. However, Leib noted that the two incidents are insufficient to imply a systemic problem with Qantas.

He also noted that the discovery of the lost object was facilitated by the accountability system, which could trace the tool's last usage, return date, and associated work.