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Jet Flies 2 Days With Tool Lost in Wing
18 Aug
Summary
- A work light was left in an aircraft wing for two days.
- Hundreds of passengers flew on the jet unaware of the issue.
- A tool control procedure failure led to the incident.
A Qantas Airbus A380 completed two days of flights, carrying hundreds of passengers, with a mechanic's 13-inch work light inadvertently left inside its wing. The incident occurred after routine air-conditioning maintenance in Sydney on January 7. The light was only discovered upon the aircraft's return to Sydney two days later.
Australian Transportation Safety Board investigators reported that maintainers did not identify the foreign object during clearance inspections. Furthermore, the failure to properly check returned tools meant the missing light went unnoticed. The light had no impact on flight safety, and Qantas reported the event voluntarily.
Since the incident, Qantas has enhanced its tool control procedures, introducing mandatory pre-clearance checks after maintenance. This follows a separate incident in December 2023 where a tool was found inside an engine on another Qantas A380 after 34 flights.
