Police have reported that a Robinson 22 helicopter has crashed in the Cardrona Valley.

Constable Mike Johnston from Wanaka Police Search and Rescue said that the Rescue Coordination Centre received a beacon activation from an aircraft assigned to the Robinson helicopter this afternoon.

Police said that a rescue helicopter with Wanaka Land SAR Alpine Cliff Rescue personnel were just about to search the area when the owner of the helicopter reported that he had found the wreckage and the pilot.

The pilot was the sole occupant onboard the aircraft and sustained only minor injuries. Police said the aircraft collided with a hill and then rolled down the slope about 80 meters.

The helicopter was involved in deer farm work at the time of the accident.

The crash has been referred to the Civil Aviation Authority’s crash investigators.