A helicopter pilot has escaped with his life following a serious crash in remote central Australia.
The 30-year-old man sustained serious injuries, including a broken hip, after the helicopter he was operating crashed near the Alpurrurulam community on the NT/Queensland border yesterday afternoon.
He was airlifted to the Mount Isa Hospital by RACQ LifeFlight and later transported to Brisbane, where he remains in a stable condition.
"We believe he was flying fairly low to the ground, maybe involved in mustering or something similar," Duty Superintendent Lee Morgan said.
"Fortunately for the pilot he's survived with what I'd consider relatively minor injuries... given the extent of the accident."
Emergency services were able to locate the pilot and the wreckage because of a beacon inside the helicopter.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau will investigate the circumstances surrounding the cause of the crash.
