A man who was mustering cattle in outback Queensland has died when his chopper ran off course and crashed into powerlines.
The chopper came down in a paddock about 7:15am near Cloncurry, with smoke sighted by witnesses before emergency services arrived.
It caught alight and the 40-year-old pilot died at the scene, police said.
Another helicopter pilot called in the crash and confirmed no one else was involved.
Emergency services remain on scene.
Civil Aviation Safety Authority spokesman Peter Gibson said the helicopter was a Robinson R22 — a two-seater that was common in mustering operations.
He said investigators were heading to the crash site.
Mr Gibson said little was known about the crash at this stage, but that mustering pilots were trained for low flying and taught about risks like powerlines.
An Ergon Energy spokesman said there were 11 aircraft collisions with powerlines last financial year.
"Australian standards recommend when there is an accident involving aircraft hitting powerlines, the power company installs markers on the line," he said.
"At this stage it's believed this is the first collision with this line. The line has been in place for 20 years and runs from the Diamantina powerstation in Mt Isa to the old Century Mine."
