When I worked aircraft maintenance in the Air Force, ALL tools had to be accounted for when we returned to the shop.
Also, EVERY screw, nut, or bolt dropped must be recovered no matter what had to be taken apart to get to it.
Heads should roll.
And they would ground the aircraft until the tool/hardware, was found. I remember those days.
I also worked as a seasonal for the USAF as an AGE mechanic, primarily BT400 heaters. Each tool had a space hollowed out in the foam liner of a tool box. Each tool box must be inspected at the end of each work session and signed off. Any tool missing caused a work stoppage and it must be found. Period.
Now we had a supervisor no one liked. A co worker had Thorsen brand tools at home just like in the USAF tool box. He scribed the tool box number on the tool as though it were a genuine USAF tool and threw it out the window near the flight line. It was found, talk about hell being raised as to why it was there and not accounted for.
Same with the Navy. The aircraft is DOWN until all tools, parts, & supplies are accounted for. Every maintenance procedure, including tool control, is written in blood. Same with operations in any other zero defect environment.
It's inexcusable. Some supervisor likely threatened them to get the plane back in service.
I hear you. I worked on various “projects” at the Air Force Research Lab in NM. I had to follow all the tool protocols, even though I was working in a lab two floors undergound three miles from the flight line. It made me crazy, but I can say we never had FOD. :)