New Zealand: Pilot dies after helicopter crash near Canterbury aerodrome PHOTO

A helicopter pilot has died after the aircraft crashed near an aerodrome in Canterbury, New Zealand, police said on September 8.

Police said they received reports of the crash near Eyrewell, in the Waimakariri District north of Christchurch, at about 5.20 pm, Caliber.Az reports via New Zealand media.

"The pilot of the helicopter, the sole occupant, died at the scene, near Eyrewell," Detective Senior Sergeant Dan Overend said.

"Police are supporting the deceased's family and enquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing."

Fire and Emergency New Zealand crews from Cust, Oxford and Rangiora attended the scene, while St John also confirmed it had responded.

The crash site was secured overnight, with recovery and examination work due to continue on Wednesday.

Eyrewell resident Vickie Lawson said she and her husband, Steve, saw the aircraft fall from the sky from their home.

"It just fell out of the sky, quite literally," she told 1News.

Steve Lawson said the aircraft appeared to be about 400 metres from the nearby Forest Field Aerodrome when he heard its engine begin to struggle.

"The engine coughed, and then everything went silent," he recalled.

"[It] rotated half a turn, and then plunged. It just plummeted, and then there was just silence."

Eyrewell is about 30 km northwest of Christchurch.

By Aghakazim Guliyev