An RAF Sea King helicopter was called to the scene

The Royal Navy Sea King helicopter from Prestwick, Scotland, came to the aid of the man who had fallen 15ft into a crevice on Pike of Stickle, Langdale.

But the blades hit a rock and the rescuer came out of the helicopter's harness, falling 40ft.

Both men were being taken to hospital, the RAF rescue centre said.

The incident happened just after 1500 BST on Monday.

Shoulder injuries

The mountain rescue worker, a member of a local civilian team, was said to be seriously injured.

The helicopter landed safely nearby and the three crew were described as shaken but unhurt.

An RAF Sea King from Boulmer, Northumberland, was scrambled along with the RAF Leeming Mountain Rescue Team.

Both casualties were then recovered and taken to Carlisle Hospital.

The original casualty, a 20-year-old man, is believed to have shoulder injuries.

An RAF spokesman said such an occurrence was "very rare".

He said: "It underlines the hazardous nature of flying rescue attempts in mountainous regions.

'Weather conditions'

"In a way this worker was fortunate that he had very skilled colleagues there with him who rushed to help. Hopefully that will make a difference."

He said an investigation into the accident could take months.

"The RAF will want to know exactly what went wrong down to the last detail.

"Investigators will look at everything from the vehicle's history to the weather conditions.

"Once a helicopter's blades touch the rock face then obviously it can't fly and the pilot has to land as quickly as possible.

"In this case they managed to carry out the emergency drill and land safely."