Michael and Linda Howard had planned to spend their day fishing and beachcombing on a sand-bar near Groper Creek, but their plans were literally turned upside down.

Mr Howard said a freak gust of wind had come from nowhere as he was attempting to land his two-seater Gyro Magni Helicopter, causing the light aircraft to crash about 10am.

"We were just going like we do every weekend to put a fishing line in," Mr Howard said.

"We were landing on the beach and almost came to a stop, but the rotor blade was still moving, when a gust of wind came from side on and flipped us on our side.

"I got a few scratches and bruises, including a bruised chest. But anyone who can walk away is lucky."

The Howards activated their emergency beacon and awaited rescue.

Emergency Management Queensland (EMQ) helicopter rescue aircraft captain Russ Pyers said his team had some difficulty locating the stricken craft.

He said the emergency beacon was only activate for about 30 seconds when the signal stopped, before they could track down the couple on a sand bar called Peter's Island.

"It was a lovely clear day, with just light breezes, it was perfect for a visual search," Mr Pyers said.

"We found the helicopter after about ten minutes – there was a skid mark about 40 or 50 metres along the beach.

"By then the owner had rightened it, but it had a broken rotor."

Mr Pyers said the rescue crew had prepared to undertake a winch rescue, but were instead able to land on the beach beside the light aircraft.

A paramedic assessed the couple at the scene, before they were airlifted to Ayr Hospital for a further check-up.

"It really did not seem like that big of a deal," Mrs Howard last night said.

"We were on the beach ... the sand was softer than expected."

Mr Howard and his wife were released from hospital yesterday afternoon and immediately went about retrieving the gyrocopter, which hadn't fared so well.

The rotor was badly damaged and Mr Howard yesterday contracted a local helicopter company to winch his plane to safety.

Mr Howard said the salvage operation had cost $5000 and he expected the damage bill would reach $30,000.

Mr Howard and his gyrocopter are well known on the Burdekin.

He regularly buzzes over townships since he imported the Italian-built gyro in 2006 and recently helped retrieve flood-stricken residents.

"I rescued people when the floods were on here and took people here and there," Mr Howard said.

A Townsville Police spokesman said the Australian Sports Rotacraft Association would investigate the incident.