One man is dead and another is in hospital fighting for life after their helicopter crashed at Hobart Airport.
The Rotorlift helicopter nosedived from about 200 metres above the tarmac shortly before 5.30pm on Tuesday, police said
"One person on board is in Royal Hobart Hospital being treated for critical injuries and he has been in and out of consciousness...since the crash," Inspector John Ward told reporters.
"The other person unfortunately is deceased."
Rotorlift operates the Tasmania Police rescue helicopter and also does tours and flight training.
Insp Ward would not confirm if the man killed was Rotorlift's chief pilot but when asked if the crash would impact on the island state's ability to respond to emergencies, he said it wouldn't and "we always have contingency plans."
Staff at Rotorlift's office's across the road were "quite upset and distraught", he said.
It's unclear if the helicopter was taking off or landing, but its damage was "extensive".
"It appears to me it's pretty much broken in half," Insp Ward said.
There were four eyewitnesses to the crash and investigators would be at the airport into the early hours of Wednesday morning, he said.
CCTV will also be used to piece together what has happened.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau say it was a single-engine AS350BA Squirrel helicopter.
"A team of two Transport Safety Investigators from Brisbane and Canberra will travel to the site shortly to begin their investigation," the bureau said in a statement.
A preliminary ATSB report will be released in about 30 days and the final report could take up to a year to complete.
Hobart Airport chief executive Sarah Renner said the crash was a terrible tragedy and the airport remained closed until further notice.
"All of this evening's flights have been cancelled," she said.
