Paragliders watched helplessly from the air as a fellow pilot crash landed on Te Mata Peak's cliff face this afternoon

A Hawke's Bay Paragliding Club member says the man hit the peak a few hundred metres down the rock face from a launch site.

Andy Owen says it appeared the man's wing didn't inflate, causing him to spin around and land on the side of the hill.

Emergency services were called about 4.40pm and a rescue helicopter airlifted the paraglider off the ledge almost an hour later.

A police spokesperson says the man is believed to have moderate to serious injuries.