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A Las Vegas police helicopter was damaged when it crash-landed and rolled on its side in an unpaved area Monday afternoon at the North Las Vegas Airport, authorities said.

The crash occurred about 4:09 p.m. during a "training incident," Metropolitan Police Department spokeswoman Laura Meltzer said.

Two pilots were aboard the four-seat helicopter, but neither reported serious injuries, police said. The aircraft appeared to have suffered substantial damage, including twisted and bent rotors.

According to Federal Aviation Administration records, the helicopter was manufactured in 1998 and is one of four Hughes/McDonnell Douglas MD 500-series rotorcraft in the department's fleet of seven helicopters and one fixed-wing aircraft. The department's Air Support Unit, which has about 22 pilots, is based at the North Las Vegas Airport.

The downed helicopter was at the east end of the airport, McCarran International Airport spokesman Chris Jones said.

Las Vegas police aircraft have had other accidents in recent years. Most recently, in late May, a police Bell HH-1H "Huey" rescue helicopter clipped a Red Rock Canyon wall with its rotor blades. The pilot was able to land the aircraft safely, and all five on board for the training mission escaped injury.

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