The objective on normal concrete or tarmac runways is to have the flaps stowed before turning onto a narrow taxiway where the engines may overhang the edges and foreign objects may be blown up, damaging the flaps.
I guess we have a different definition of a 'normal concrete or tarmac runway' then.
In that scenario I would be briefing it before leaving cruise altitude and below 15kts before making the selection. But maybe that is because I have the luxury of operating into better strips and I don't understand how common it is to have taxiways like that as part of the route structure.
after speaking with a colleague at this airline in question this is also their SOP.
yet earlier a poster observed other aircraft from this carrier retracting the flaps on the runway subsequent to this accident. So is a finding going to be a culture within the pilot group to not follow SOP's? Poor safety culture? If so , I believe the only way around this is to find management level positions liable for the creating of acceptable safety cultures with pilot groups.Rather than the current situation where high level decision making degrades safety cultures.
Framer