State Police helicopter crash-lands in Southern Tier

KANONA, N.Y. (AP) - State police say a trooper forced to crash land his helicopter near a highway in the Southern Tier suffered non-life threatening injuries Thursday morning.

New York State Police say Trooper Thomas A. Shultz,41, was returning from a search for a missing person in an Aviation Bell 407 helicopter when he experienced an in-flight mechanical emergency.

The helicopter made a hard landing near Bath in Steuben County off of Interstate 86.

State Police say Trooper Shultz is a highly experienced Army combat pilot.

Police say the trooper was injured and was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester.

The cause of the incident is under investigation.