SYNOPSIS
On the day of the accident the helicopter was engaged in routine aerial fertiliser spreading on forestry plantations in County Tipperary. This is a seasonal operation.
The operating company maximised its use of air and ground resources from (plantation) site to site, by pre-planning and reconnoitring in advance.
There was a duplicated back-up system of personnel and equipment on the ground supporting the operation, including Unimogs (crane vehicles), hoppers (underslung buckets), vans, transit crew cabs, low loaders and accommodation caravans. This duplication allowed the pilot to spread at one site while the next site facility was being prepared by the second ground crew. The operation would normally continue in this leap-frogging fashion.
