Two men have escaped with just minor injuries after a helicopter crashed in regional Victoria, leaving police wondering whether human error or a technical fault is to blame.
Police, paramedics and fire crews were called to Lethbridge Airport near Geelong at about 10.20am on Thursday to find the battered wreckage.
It was unclear whether the crash had been caused by "pilot error or a mechanical fault", police told reporters at the scene.
"It appears the helicopter was flying low before it crashed and may have spun out of control," an officer said.
The aircraft was conducting circuits of the airfield when it got into difficulty and hit the ground "reasonably hard".
One man was taken to Ballarat hospital in a stable condition and the other suffered lower back pain, but was also categorised as stable.
Country Fire Authority crews from Geelong, Lethbridge and Meredith monitored leaking aircraft fuel.
Footage streamed by the Seven Network showed the crashed chopper on its side, propeller blades askew, on the grass and covered in a white foam.
Lethbridge Airport owner Garry Baum told AAP the men had a "very lucky escape".
The Robinson 44 helicopter tried to land when something went wrong and it appeared the aircraft flipped several times after making contact with the ground, he said.
"It's been completely written off, I'm not an expert but there's nothing of any value left at all, it's wrecked."
Mr Baum said the tail of the helicopter had snapped off and was about 30m away.
