The downing of the Bundeswehr helicopter was a tragic mistake

Three soldiers died

The downing of the Bundeswehr helicopter was a tragic mistake

In July, a Bundeswehr helicopter crashed in Saxony, killing three soldiers. It is now clear why contact with the plane was suddenly lost.

The fatal crash of a Bundeswehr training helicopter near Grimma in Saxony at the end of July was caused by a tragic error. A detailed accident investigation carried out by the Bundeswehr’s “General Aviation Safety” department could not find any technical defects or irregularities in the EC 135 helicopter, which the Bundeswehr rented for training flights.

Instead, experts assume that the helicopter flew by slipping into a steel cable at a water measuring station during a low flight over the Mulde River, which stretches four to six meters above the water. The plane crashed into the water and its tail rotor came loose. Three passengers, a female soldier and two male soldiers, are thought to have died instantly.

The helicopter with the call sign “Stallion 82” departed Holzdorf airbase in Brandenburg on the morning of 29 July for a training flight, and radio contact was lost at around ten o’clock. It remains unclear why the crew did not know about the steel cables that had been stretched across the river for years.

Investigating the cause of the accident is difficult because the helicopter carrying the Bundeswehr train was not equipped with a flight recorder.