Action by a Makani Kai Helicopters pilot during a Jan. 5 crash-landing on Wai'alae Iki ridge prevented the aircraft from sliding down the steep slope, according to a preliminary report issued yesterday by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The Eurocopter AS350 helicopter sustained substantial damage during the incident, but neither of the two people aboard was seriously injured.

The aircraft, piloted by Eiki Miyasato, experienced a sudden loss of engine power while hovering 10 feet from a landing site atop the ridge, the report said. Miyasato maneuvered the helicopter so that it touched down and rolled over onto its right side, preventing a more serious outcome, according to the NTSB.

It was a charter flight to transport a Fox Radio technician to repair an antenna on the ridgetop at an elevation of about 2,400 feet.

An NTSB report on the cause of the engine trouble is not expected for several months.