Australia has introduced its first national standard operating procedures for large air tanker firefighting aircraft, including minimum drop heights, following an investigation into a 2023 Boeing 737 firebomber accident in Western Australia. ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said the document sets a new national benchmark for large air tanker operations, laying out clear requirements for aerial supervision, task profiles, and communication protocols. The 2023 accident that prompted the changeThe push for national standards traces back to February 6, 2023, when a Coulson Aviation Boeing 737-300 large air tanker, registered N619SW, crashed into a ridgeline in Western Australia’s Fitzgerald River National Park while fighting a bushfire. Investigators also found that neither the operator nor the tasking agency had published a minimum drop height, which meant the co-pilot didn’t recognize the developing risk and made no warning calls before the collision. Mitchell said those differences between Australian jurisdictions could lead to safety requirements, such as minimum drop heights, being left out or misunderstood by different tasking agencies.