The Civil Aviation Authority will investigate a microlight crash which has left an elderly pilot with a leg injury.

The 72-year-old man took off from Oamaru Airport yesterday.

When his plane began losing power he tried to land it, but crashed into a hedgerow on a farm in the Papakaio area.

He was trapped but rescued by emergency services who'd been called by the landowner, who saw the crash.

Police say the pilot has extensive flying experience.