Arabic version: هيئة سلامة النقل الأسترالية تعثر على مصباح صيانة تُرك داخل جناح إيرباص A380 التابعة لكانتاس

According to ABC News, an Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigation found a 33-centimetre maintenance light was inadvertently left inside the wing of a Qantas A380 after work on its air-conditioning system in Sydney on January 7.

The aircraft was cleared to carry passengers on a return flight between Sydney and Dallas-Fort Worth before maintenance staff realised the light was missing. It was recovered from the wing two days later. The ATSB said the light did not damage the wing, but foreign objects present a significant risk to aircraft safety.

ATSB chief commissioner Angus Mitchell said the event resulted from a breakdown in tool-accountability processes. He said tool-control systems need safeguards to detect and recover from errors, particularly when maintenance is undertaken in challenging conditions and under operational pressure.

Qantas voluntarily reported the incident and said the light had no impact on the aircraft’s operation. The airline has issued a safety directive, created a tooling working group and introduced a mandatory pre-clearance check to confirm all tools are accounted for after maintenance.

The event is the second involving an item left in a Qantas A380. In December 2023, a 1.25-metre nylon turning tool was discovered in an A380 engine after the aircraft completed multiple international trips.