A couple in their 70s have been killed after their light plane crashed into a mountain in north Queensland.
Police said a member of the public alerted them to the crash in Pioneer Valley about 9.30am on Saturday, telling officers they heard the sound of a plane before a large explosion.
The RACQ rescue helicopter spotted the wreckage about 11.30am, with black smoke seen billowing out from underneath the thick tree cover.
Detective Inspector Emma Novosel said a crew member was winched down on Saturday afternoon and found that no one had survived the crash.
It's understood two people, a man aged 73 and his 75 year-old wife were in the aircraft.
The plane had taken off from Townsville and was bound for Mackay, where the parents and grandparents were locals.
Det Insp Novosel said the family told police the man owned the plane and had 30 years' flying experience.
"They're devastated. At this time, extended family members haven't been told so we can't release the names of the people who have died," she said.
Det Insp Novosel said ground crews were still working to reach the scene of the crash, which was in difficult terrain that could not be accessed by road or foot.
"It's going to be a complex recovery exercise. We'll only get people into that site that have to be there. The terrain is unsteady, made more difficult by the crash debris," she said.
"We will be winching people into that site, I understand it's very difficult to walk even a short distance," she said.
She told reporters the recovery team might not be able to reach the site until Tuesday when strong winds are expected to ease in the area.
"We're looking after the safety of everybody else. That's why we have to wait for the appropriate weather conditions," she said.
The Australian Transport and Safety Bureau said an investigation has begun into the cause of the crash of the SOCATA TB20 Trinidad single-engine plane.
ATSB investigators travelled to the site on Sunday afternoon and will assess the terrain and weather conditions leading up to the crash.
