Two people were injured after their helicopter made an emergency landing yesterday afternoon in Häna, Maui.

The injured people, a pilot and an inspector with the Federal Aviation Administration, suffered non-life-threatening injuries, said Ian Gregor, FAA spokesman. They were taken to Maui Memorial Medical Center for treatment.

The pilot and the inspector left Kahului Airport at 1:15 p.m. aboard a Sunshine Helicopters Aerospatiale AS350 helicopter for a routine proficiency check. The check is required for commercial pilots under FAA regulations, Gregor said.

But the helicopter experienced unknown mechanical problems and the pilot made an emergency landing on the shoreline in Wai'änapanapa at about 1:45, Gregor said. The helicopter's tail boom broke during the landing, he said.

The FAA inspector suffered a broken ankle, but the extent of the pilot's injuries was not immediately available.

FAA safety inspectors were on the scene of the incident and secured the wreckage, Gregor said. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the incident.

The Kahului-based Sunshine Helicopters offers air tours of Maui, Moloka'i, Kaua'i and the Big Island. Ross Scott, company president, did not return a phone call yesterday.

In April 2007, a Sunshine Helicopter Eurocopter EC 130 B4 crash-landed in Makawao after taking off for Kapalua. Five of six people on board suffered minor injuries.

The NTSB said pilot error was the probable cause of the accident.

In January 2006, a Sunshine Helicopters helicopter crash-landed on the slopes of Haleakalä, injuring five people.

The NTSB determined that the accident was caused by a "total loss of engine power due to a fatigue failure of a turbine blade."