Helicopter crashes in Canterbury

File photo / Herald on Sunday

A man suffered back injuries after crash-landing his helicopter on the Banks Peninsula this morning.

Emergency services were notified of the crash between the Kaituna Valley and McQueens Pass, near Mt Herbert, about 8am today.

Simon Duncan, general manager of Garden City Helicopters, which operates the Westpac rescue helicopter service, said the pilot was the sole occupant of the privately-owned Robinson R22 helicopter.

"The helicopter has gone in quite hard," he said.

"He thinks it's been a mechanical failure and he had to try and pick a spot to land and put it down in an emergency landing."

The Westpac rescue helicopter located the crash site at 8.57am.

"He sufferered back injuries but there is no loss of spinal feeling," Mr Duncan said. "He had to be stretcher-winched out as he was unable to move."

St John ambulance medics attended to the man and he was taken to Christchurch Hospital.

Mr Duncan said the man, an experienced pilot, spoke to another helicopter pilot on his cellphone after he realised his helicopter was having mechanical problems. He had reported his drive belt had "let go, and he had to auto-rotate", Mr Duncan said.

The pilot was asked to activate his emergency beacon to assist rescuers, but the beacon was "smashed beyond repair" in the crash.

Mr Duncan said the pilot was lucky to land the craft where he did considering the rough terrain.

"He managed to put it down on a four-wheel-drive track, about 1,600ft above sea level.

"Stu Farquhar (the rescue helicopter pilot) said he did a good job to get it in where he did."

Meanwhile, police say a satellite phone was instrumental in the quick rescue of two hunters whose helicopter crashed in Fiordland last night.

The pilot and shooter were on a deer recovery operation when the helicopter went down in the Preservation area of Fiordland about 6pm.

A rescue was launched after the men contacted Bluff marine radio by satellite phone, Invercargill police Senior Sergeant Maggie Windle said.

A Southern Lakes helicopter with a police officer and St John Ambulance medic found the men relatively unscathed.

One man suffered bruising while the other was uninjured.

Neither required hospital treatment and both they were taken to Te Anau.

"The use of the satellite phone was instrumental in the quick recovery of the men," Ms Windle said.

The Civil Aviation Authority was investigating, she said.

- NZPA and NZHERALD STAFF