Originally Posted by
Jhieminga
1,250 lb is 567 kg. MTOW is 1317 kg according to Wiki. Assume a hopper that's half full, say 300 kg and a total weight around 1200 kg. Dropping that load will give you 1200/(1200-300) = 1,3 G instantaneously. If we're using MTOW and a full hopper, it goes up to 1,76 G. Not a problem on its own, but it all adds up.
But it isn't the g that kills the aeroplane, its the bending moment of the wings; g is just a convenient means of quantifying the bending moment for a given condition, and for advising limitations. Reduce the mass to a theoretical 1lb, and it could survive 1200g. 1.3 g on a 900lb aeroplane gives the same "weight" as 1.0g on a 1200lb aeroplane.
The increased normal-acceleration may, of course, introduce a change of attitude/alpha; and therein may lie the problem.