Three people survive chopper crash landing near Glenorchy after engine failure, mayday call

The pilot, who had two passengers on board, was able to land the helicopter with minor damage to the aircraft.

Three people have survived a helicopter crash today after the pilot reported an engine failure.

Maritime New Zealand spokesman Mark Dittmer said Rescue Coordination Centre NZ (RCCNZ) responded to a helicopter with a reported engine failure near Glenorchy this morning.

RCCNZ headed to the scene in the small South Island town after receiving a distress beacon alert and mayday call at 9.51am.

The pilot, who had two passengers on board, was able to land the helicopter with minor damage to the aircraft. All three were uninjured.

Two Queenstown-based rescue helicopters were deployed to the scene along with a separate commercial helicopter that also responded to the mayday call.

Fire and Emergency and St John were also called to the incident, which was approximately 45km from Queenstown.

The people onboard the helicopter were taken to Queenstown for health assessments.