A man ran hundreds of metres to pull a pilot from a helicopter that crashed near Levin this morning.
The helicopter, an ex-military Iroquois, came down near the dunes at Hokio Beach, 10km northwest of Levin shortly after 9am today.
The man dragged the pilot from his seat and put him into the back of his ute until emergency services arrived.
"He was covered in blood on his face and neck and was very shaken," said the rescuer.
The pilot, who was the only person in the helicopter, had serious injuries to his face and was treated by St John Ambulance staff. He was then flown to Palmerston North Hospital.
Five fire crews and a support unit from Palmerston North went to the crash, said Murray Dunbar, shift manager at the central fire communications centre.
Wreckage from the crash was spread out over a large area.
Aviation gas from the helicopter was leaking and emergency crews were trying to stop it.
The helicopter was flying from Blenheim to Rotorua.