Maintenance slip leaves light in Qantas jet wing; two-day cross-country flight ensues
Two days after maintenance, a battery-powered work light was signed out for a Qantas Airbus A380 and left inside the left wing, going unnoticed during post-maintenance checks. The aircraft flew from Sydney to Dallas/Fort Worth and back before the missing tool was found in an unreturned tool report. Investigators said there was no safety impact; Qantas has tightened tool-control procedures with a mandatory pre-clearance check. The ATSB notes a prior 2023 incident where a tool was left in an engine and a 2020 screwdriver tip caused damage elsewhere; no injuries were reported.