A380 motorhavari den 4. november 2010 - Qantas er forbannet!

Qantas chief Alan Joyce was stunned to learn Rolls-Royce had made engine modifications but neglected to inform Qantas. Photo: Getty Images

JET engine maker Rolls-Royce has confronted gaps in its quality assurance that were identified by Australia's air safety investigation into the Qantas A380 engine explosion on flight QF32.

Investigators have zeroed in on ''missed opportunities'' for the British company to detect defects in the manufacturing tolerances of critical components before they failed in flight.

Central to the explosion on Qantas' flagship A380 superjumbo, ''Nancy Bird Walton'', was a badly manufactured oil feeder pipe, which was crookedly bored and cracked after take-off.