Mayday alert abandoned after helicopter lands safely near Whakatane Airport

A helicopter has made an emergency landing in a maize field near Whakatane Airport this afternoon.

A helicopter has made an emergency landing in a maize field near Whakatane Airport this afternoon.

Police confirmed a mayday call was received from the light aircraft but that the helicopter landed safely in the field on Golf Links Rd.

A spokeswoman could not confirm reports the helicopter ran out of fuel.

Emergency services were called to the incident near the outlying suburb of Coastlands in the Eastern Bay of Plenty town about 2pm.

A Fire Communications shift manager said firefighters were stood down and did not attend the scene.

Police said the incident had been referred to the Civil Aviation Authority.

The call came at the same time as more than 1000 mourners gathered at Wanaka Airport for the funeral of South Island helicopter pilot Nick Wallis.

Wallis and two Department of Conservation rangers were killed when the helicopter they were in crashed near Wanaka Airport shortly after take-off on October 18.