The MBB Bo.105 is a five-seat lightweight, general-purpose
helicopter. Development of the Bo.105 started back in 1959 when Bölkow
designed the Bo.103 helicopter. The Bo.103 single-seat flew first on 14
September 1961. The two-seat Bo.104 followed this study-project. Due to
marketing reasons this project was stopped in favour of the five-seat
Bo.105. Design work for the Bo.105 began in July 1962. Construction of
the first of three prototypes began in 1964. The first Bo.105 prototype
D-HAKO s/n V-1 was destroyed in ground tests and written off in October
1966. The second machine, D-HECA s/n V-2, was powered by two 317shp
Allison 250C18 turboshafts and on 16 February 1967, the BO105 took off
for its maiden flight in Ottobrunn (near Munich), Germany. On 14 May 1969,
Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm GmbH (MBB) was formed and development of the Bo.105 continued
with the first production BO-105A, D-HABV s/n S-1, flying on 11 April 1970.
The breakthrough came in 1974 when the German Army ordered the BO
105 as a connection and observation helicopter. In January 1992, the MBB
Bo 105 became part of the large helicopters types row of Eurocopter when
the helicopter divisions of MBB from Germany and Aerospatiale from
France merged to form the Eurocopter Group. In 1993, the BO 105 CBS with
a 25cm fuselage stretch and extra window was certificated. Over the years,
license agreements for the BO105 CB/CBS versions with the Philippines,
Indonesia and Spain were concluded, and for the BO105 LS, a cooperation
agreement with Canada. Until production ended in 2001, as the BO105 was superseded by
Eurocopter’s EC135, a total of 1,406 BO105s had been delivered to 55
customer nations. The ICAO Aircraft Type Designator for the MBB BO.105CBS-5 is B105
As a result of the merger between the Eurocopter parents Aérospatiale-Matra; DaimlerChrysler Aerospace (DASA)
and Construcciones Aeronàuticas Sociedad Anonima (CASA) in July 2000, the Eurocopter group became a division of the new formed
EADS (European Aeronautic Defence and Space company). Taking off into 2014, EADS was rebranded as "Airbus Group". Uniting
all its activities under a single brand, its helicopter division Eurocopter was rebranded as Airbus Helicopters on 8 January 2014.
On 11 June 2004, RTH (Rettungstransporthubschrauber) MBB BO.105CBS-5 D-HFFF of DRF was seen in service as "Christoph 60" at the helipad of DRF-Luftrettungszentrum
Suhl in Thüringen, Germany. The DRF facilities at the 'Zentralklinikum Suhl' - LRZ Suhl, were opened on 1 January 1994. The MBB BO.105CBS-5 in service as "Christoph 60"
was replaced by an Eurocopter EC135 in October 2004. Call sign "Christoph" is used for the German lifeliner helicopters since 1970 and is derived of Saint Christophorus,
the Patron Saint for all travellers. On 23 September 2008, DRF - Deutsche Rettungsflugwacht e.V. was renamed DRF Luftrettung. In 1989, MBB Bo.105CBS-5 s/n S-811 was built as a
Bo.105CBS-4 and registered D-HZDU with MBB - Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm. The same year, the Bo.105CBS-4 was registered D-HFFF with DRF-Deutsche Rettungflugwacht e.V.
(Rettungsdienststiftung Björn Steiger e.V.). Over the years, Bo.105CBS-4 D-HFFF was modified to a Bo.105CBS-5 model. In 2009, MBB BO.105CBS-5 D-HFFF was withdrawn from use by
DRF Luftrettung and stored at Karlsruhe - Baden-Baden Airport. On 8 July 2014, CofA for export to Russia was issued for this MBB BO.105CBS-5. On 24 July 2014, the MBB BO.105CBS-5
was registered RA-02542 with Nera-Antagachan LLC. On 13 September 2019, the RA-02542 was involved in a fatal incident in the Yakutiad Region, Lake Ayama, Russia. After the pilot
picked up two people from the mouth of a river, the helicopter with the three occupants disappeared and most likely crashed.
