A woman was killed and a man was trapped in the wreckage after a helicopter crashed near Campbell River Sunday afternoon.

Both pilots were the only people aboard the Robinson R44 when it went down in heavy bush three kilometres west of the city.

One woman died at the scene while the man was transported to a hospital in Victoria to be treated for his injuries, the nature of which have not been disclosed.

An RCMP helicopter was dispatched and rescuers from Comox 442 Search and Rescue Squadron assisted with rescue efforts, which were hampered by the rough terrain.

"As close as it was, when the trees are that dense it doesn't really matter how close it is," said Capt. Lewis Williams. "It can be in your backyard but the trees were really, really thick."

The wreckage was nearly impossible to see from the air, but the lone survivor of the crash had his cell phone and was able to send text messages for help.

"There was a lot of agencies involved that really made the rescue quite timely," said Williams. "The rescue team on the ground, RCMP, air ambulance, firefighters, the RCMP helicopter."

Ground searchers were the first to reach the wreckage then directed the Cormorant overhead.

SAR technician Bryce Culver was lowered 200 feet down to the wreckage on a long line and hoisted the man to safety, a lengthy process that stretched well into nighttime.

On Monday, the BC Coroner's Service and Transportation Safety Board investigators were back at the crash site to further their investigation into the cause.

The identity of the deceased woman has not been released.