Two seriously injured as Cessna crash lands

A Cessna plane similar to that which crashed. Photo / Thinkstock

Two pilots suffered serious injuries when their light plane crashed as it approached a landing strip in a valley south of Queenstown this morning.

Sergeant Pete Graham of Te Anau police said the Cessna appeared to have hit a bank approaching the air strip in Von Valley and flipped, landing upside down.

The Milford Sound Flights aircraft was on a training flight when it went down in the valley between Te Anau and Queenstown about 9.15am.

Te Anau police were advised of a beacon activation about 10am through the Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ).

Rescue helicopters from Queenstown and Te Anau arrived about 10.20am after a tourist company plane initially located the two injured men.

The pair were treated at the scene for serious injuries before being airlifted to hospital.

A 64-year-old man from Queenstown was in a serious condition in Dunedin Hospital, police said.

The other, a 40-year-old man, also from Queenstown, was taken initially to Frankton hospital but transferred to Invercargill with serious injuries.

The Civil Aviation Authority will investigate the crash.

Milford Sound Flights is a joint venture between Skyline Enterprises and Real Journeys.