Hawaii County police responded to a report of a downed helicopter in the Piihonua area at approximately 2:50 p.m. Thursday.

Responding officers, along with Fire/Rescue personnel, located the pilot and four passengers near a power transformer substation.

The pilot and the passengers were injured but none of their injuries appeared to be life threatening. They were taken by ambulance to Hilo Medical Center.

The pilot was able to direct the responders to the crash site a few hundred feet away, approximately a quarter-mile above Akolea Road.

The Hughes 500E Tropical Helicopter's flight had reportedly left Hilo International Airport approximately five minutes earlier when the helicopter reportedly experienced an engine malfunction.

Police are securing the crash site until investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board arrive.

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