A Qantas A380 passenger jet flew to the United States and back before a work light that had been mistakenly left in its wing was discovered, according to an investigation by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB).
The incident occurred after maintenance was performed on the aircraft's air conditioning system at Sydney Airport on January 7. Crews reportedly did not find the light during foreign object clearance inspections, and a licensed aircraft maintenance engineer issued a certificate of release to service without accounting for the tool.
The A380 subsequently completed its flight to Dallas and returned to Sydney, where the work light was found by maintenance crews two days after the initial work was completed.
The ATSB investigation concluded that the incident was a result of a breakdown in foreign object control and tool accountability processes. While the light did not cause any damage to the wing, the bureau stated that foreign objects pose a 'significant risk to the safe operation of an aircraft'.
"Even well-established processes can be vulnerable when they rely solely on consistent human performance, particularly during maintenance tasks which are often conducted in challenging environments and under operational pressures," ATSB chief commissioner Angus Mitchell said in a statement. "Tool control systems and procedures must account for this variability, with safeguards to detect and recover from errors."
Central Queensland University aviation expert Associate Professor Steven Leib described any unaccounted-for object found inside an aircraft as a 'real safety concern,' explaining that such items could move during flight and potentially jeopardize safety.
This is the second such incident involving one of Qantas's A380s in three years. In December 2023, a different A380 completed multiple international flights between Australia and the US before a 1.25-meter-long nylon turning tool was discovered in one of its engines.
Following the latest incident, Qantas has reportedly enhanced its tooling control processes and implemented a mandatory pre-clearance check after maintenance. A Qantas spokesperson stated that the airline voluntarily reported the incident to the ATSB and that the light had no impact on the aircraft's operation.