Safety issue
| Safety issue description |
The Coulson Aviation practice of recalculating the target retardant drop airspeed after a partial drop reduced the post-drop stall speed and energy‑height safety margins. |
|---|---|
| Issue number | AO-2023-008-SI-01 |
| Issue owner | Coulson Aviation |
| Transport function | Aviation: General aviation |
| Issue status | Closed – Adequately addressed |
| Date issue released | 06/11/2024 |
| Issue status justification |
The amendment to the Coulson Aviation Flight Operations Manual to prohibit the recalculation (lowering) of drop speeds following a partial load drop should adequately address this safety issue. |
Safety action
| Action type | Proactive action |
|---|---|
| Action number | AO-2023-008-PSA-265 |
| Organisation | Coulson Aviation |
| Action description |
Coulson Aviation published Fixed Wing Operations Bulletin 23-2 to prohibit the recalculation (lowering) of drop speeds following a partial load drop. This was incorporated into their fixed-wing Flight Operations Manual on 10 October 2023 with an amendment to include an Airtanker Procedures section with a subsection for Recalculation of Airspeed during Partial Load Drops. |
| Action status | Closed |