'Really shocked': pilot remembered after fiery crash

A pilot killed in a kit-built aircraft crash has been remembered as a passionate aviator as investigators pore over a "complex accident scene".

Greg Ackman, 73, and a long-time friend from Sydney died when their aircraft hit the ground and burst into flames near a Queensland regional airfield seconds after take-off.

The fire spread to nearby bushland surrounding Heck Field, a private airstrip north of the Gold Coast, after the two-seater Van's RV-8A light aircraft crashed about 6am on Tuesday.

The blaze has been contained but is hampering Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigators who have begun sifting through the burnt wreckage.

"There's still some remnants of that fire burning today," the bureau's Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said on Wednesday.

"It is quite a complex accident scene. The nature of the actual impact itself, as well as the post-impact fire, has meant that a lot of that aircraft has been destroyed by the fire."

ATSB officers are being punted across a waterway by boat to access the crash scene, further complicating the investigation.

CCTV footage and audio recordings will be part of the investigation, with preliminary findings expected in the coming months.

The aircraft is a popular tandem two-seat, single-engine, low-wing homebuilt plane sold in kit form.

Mr Ackman had owned the aircraft for about 12 months, but it was first registered in 2006, Mr Mitchell said.

The plane was extensively damaged in an accident in Victoria in 2010, when the engine failed.

"It came down very heavily and collided with trees, and some substantial damage was reported at that time in 2010," Mr Mitchell said.

"We will, obviously, as we do with all investigations, look at the full maintenance history of this aircraft.

"There are certain maintenance requirements for these experimental kit-built aircraft."

The tragedy has rocked the local flying community and the Gold Coast Sports Flying Club, where Mr Ackman was a long-term member.

He was also a volunteer pilot for Angel Flight, helping people in remote areas reach medical appointments.

"Greg has been a member here for a lot of years ... he'd been involved in flying since he was a teenager," club president Rhys Owen said on Wednesday.

He last spoke with Mr Ackman on Friday, when they talked about the upcoming trip to an airfield outside Tamworth.

"We are just really shocked about what's what's happened ... any incident like this greatly impacts us as aviators as a whole.

"Greg was an active and valued member of our club, and with an extensive history in aviation, and he'll be greatly missed.

"It's definitely had a huge impact for all our members and certainly our extended community."