On Tuesday, July 29, 2025, a light Airbus Helicopters H135 P2+ training helicopter, registration D-HCDL, serial number 0700, operated by DL Helicopter Technik GmbH, took off from Holzdorf Air Base in Saxony-Anhalt for a routine flight in support of the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) pilot training program. Loss of contact with the crew was reported in the area of the Mulde River, near the town of Grimma, close to Leipzig in Lower Saxony.
Photo: DL Helicopter Technik GmbH
The crew consisted of personnel from Helicopter Wing 64 (Hubschraubergeschwader 64, HSG 64), a unit scheduled to be reequipped in the future with Boeing CH-47F Chinook Block II heavy transport helicopters. They were conducting a routine training flight numbered STLON82, with the callsign Stallion 82. Between 10:00 and 11:30 a.m., contact with the crew was lost. Around 12:00 p.m., kayakers reported spotting wreckage of the rotorcraft in the Mulde River, a non-navigable left-bank tributary of the Elbe.
According to a statement by the German Bundeswehr, approximately 200 rescue personnel were involved in the search operation (initially, the deaths of two crew members were confirmed, while the third was listed as missing). Rescuers eventually recovered three bodies from the wreckage. A security perimeter was established at the crash site.
The cause of the crash remains unknown. A team of experts led by the German Armed Forces Aviation Safety Commission (General Flugsicherheit der Bundeswehr) has launched an investigation into the incident.
Federal Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius visited the crash site in the evening and expressed his deep concern:
“The death of the crew members is a heavy blow to me and the entire Bundeswehr. Our thoughts are with their families and friends. We extend our sincerest condolences during this difficult time. We will do everything in our power to clarify the circumstances.”
Luftwaffe Inspector General Holger Neumann was also profoundly affected by the accident:
“This is a black day for the Air Force, and for me personally. Our sympathies and condolences go out to the families and friends in this difficult moment.”
The company DL Helicopter Technik GmbH operates three Airbus H135 P2+ helicopters, with deliveries beginning on July 9, 2021. In addition, the operator’s fleet includes Robinson R44, Airbus H120, and BK117 helicopters, with plans to add the latest H145 in the future.
Es geht weiter voran.
Erste Übergabe des #Eurocopter EC 135 an unser Hubschraubergeschwader HSG 64. 3 dieser leichten zweimotorigen Mehrzweckhubschrauber werden zukünftig in Holzdorf zur Ausbildung junger Luftfahrzeugführer eingesetzt. @AirbusHeli @Airbus pic.twitter.com/iMe9EimUc9— Team Luftwaffe (@Team_Luftwaffe) July 9, 2021
This is the second accident involving an H135 P2+ helicopter performing missions on behalf of the German Bundeswehr. On July 1, 2019, a helicopter belonging to the German Army Aviation (Heer) crashed in a forest near the town of Aerzen, in the Hameln-Pyrmont district, located between Bielefeld and Hanover in Lower Saxony. The helicopter was operated by the International Helicopter Training Center (Internationale Hubschrauberausbildungszentrum) in Bückeburg, located about 30 km from the crash site. The accident resulted in the death of a 25-year-old pilot, while a 26-year-old crew member was injured. At the time of the crash, the Heer operated 14 H135 helicopters, all based in Bückeburg.