Helicopter crashes in Monroe County farm

A pilot and his passenger escaped uninjured from a helicopter crash in Monroe County, authorities said.

The 51-year-old, of Newport, was flying back to Willow Run Airport Thursday morning when he experienced engine trouble and crash landed in a farmer's field, according to Monroe County Sheriff Troy Goodnough.

The pilot identified the farmlands around Oelke and Yensch roads in London Township as a "suitable" place to crash, and used autorotation to control his descent, a media release from the sheriff's office said. In autorotation, the upward flow of wind allows a helicopter's rotor blades to rotate at their normal speed, creating a gliding effect, according to the Federal Aviation Administration safety website.

Authorities were alerted to the crash by a neighbor, and police, fire and an ambulance responded.

The crash remains under investigation.