An A380 operated multiple flights with a tool inside one of its engines, after maintenance engineers did not commence the lost tool procedure prior to the aircraft being released to service, an ATSB investigation report details.
The 1.25 m long nylon tool, used to turn the engine’s intermediate‑pressure compressor during borescope inspections, was found wedged against the low-pressure compressor outlet guide vanes during a scheduled maintenance check at Los Angeles on 1 January 2024.
It was determined that that the tool had been left in the engine during previous scheduled maintenance in Los Angeles on 6 December 2023.
Between the two maintenance checks, the Qantas aircraft had flown 34 cycles, totalling 294 hours, with the tool in the engine. Although the tool was found to have been deformed by high energy airflow, there was no damage observed to the engine itself.
