A man was injured when a light aircraft crashed into a field this afternoon at Papakaio, near Oamaru.

Police, ambulance and the fire service attended the scene, at MacDonald Road. The incident happened about 2:30pm.

"The sole pilot of a microlight aircraft was involved," a Dunedin police spokesman said.

"The man suffered leg injuries and we are still trying to ascertain exactly what happened."

The man was transported by ambulance to Oamaru Hospital from the crash scene, which was close to a rural property.