Originally Posted by
Lord Farringdon
The video shows a few distinct points of interest. First, the speed brakes have been deployed as have the flaps. Accordingly, I presume the engines will spooled similar to a normal approach speed for this aircraft type.
Spot on. The run is essentially flown in the final approach configuration with the landing gear retracted. This keeps the fans spooled up for the go-around.
Originally Posted by
Lord Farringdon
It seems a normal speed for the drop but the target area is tight to get into (and out of ). As I said, rolling terrain can be deceptive. How many have noticed the ridge they flew over to get to the target? Look at 00.05 on the video and see the aircraft shadow. Now your attention has been brought to it, this entry ridge stands out but how many never saw that ridge to start with? They crossed about 100 feet over that ridge on their approach down into the valley below. See how far below the ridge, the retardant falls after it is released. This just further amplifies the steep nature of the terrain and its deceptiveness. I'm not saying the crew didn't see that ridge, simply that the terrain is clearly deceptive making the exit strategy subject to being misread.
We don't know all of the facts that led up to this run so this is only supposition based on what I can see. There's a previous retardant line and it appears they were trying to tag on and extend it to prevent spread of the fire down the valley (smoke can be seen in the lower right - rising out of the valley). As was said above, they did not follow a lead plane for the run but that doesn't mean they weren't given a target by a lead plane crew. But if the lead plane doesn't fly the same run to look for hazards, it's left up to the tanker crew to see and avoid them. Tanker Ops 1.01 says you should avoid climbing exits as much as possible, to account for a drop system failure and/or a power loss at a critical time. A proper run assessment by a lead plane pilot (we call it birddogging here in western Canada) would have seen the rising terrain and they may not have recommended this run. If they had, they would have made the crew aware of the terrain and probably would have set a higher minimum target altitude.