Rural RCMP, Transport Canada and the Conservation Officer Service are investigating a bizarre helicopter landing off the Coquihalla Highway that happened on Saturday.

Shortly before 1 p.m., an American helicopter pilot travelling from Alberta noticed his fuel light turn on, according to Staff Sgt. Dave Lucas, when. The pilot decided to descend for an unplanned landing.

He hit ground in the southbound lane of the highway at the Logan Lake exit between Merritt and Kamloops.

He was then seen dealing with an animal carcass - it's unclear whether he was loading or offloading the meat, said Lucas.

Emergency crews responded and there were reports of fuel on the roadway, but the helicopter pilot was soon able to take off again. He flew on to the Kamloops Airport where he refuelled.

It's not illegal to perform an emergency landing in the event of technical problems, said Lucas.

"He didn't do anything illegal necessarily," he said. "But it's still under investigation."

The Conservation Office was unavailable by press time.