LIHU'E, Kaua'i — A helicopter crashed or made a hard landing at 11:45 a.m. yesterday at Polihale State Park on Kaua'i's west side, a witness and a park official said.

There were no reports of injuries. A witness said the helicopter appeared to have been damaged.

"I understand it was at least a hard landing," said Dan Quinn, parks administrator with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Inter-Island Helicopters was doing contract work for the DLNR by removing rubbish from Kalalau Valley, Quinn said. Rubbish and illegal campsites are cleared several times using helicopters, he said.

Kekaha resident Patrick Morrah said he was at Polihale watching a red Inter-Island helicopter carrying loads of debris from Kalalau Valley to a staging area in the park, where trucks took the debris away.

"I saw them make about five trips," with two helicopters carrying loads in net slings, Morrah said.

At 11:45, the red helicopter was "flying low along the coast with a load of stuff ... when the engine went 'whoop' and the motor quit. There was a big belch of smoke out of the back" and the helicopter went down about 120 feet from him, he said.

He estimated the helicopter was 30 feet above the ground when it began to go down. He said the pilot appeared to be unharmed and there was no fire, but the back of the helicopter appeared damaged.

The remaining Inter-Island helicopter continued to carry loads out of Kalalau yesterday afternoon, Quinn said.