NSW sheep producer dies in plane crash

Well-known sheep producer and race car driver Bill Pye has been described as a "great Aussie" and a "champion bloke" following his death in a light plane crash in southern NSW.

Mr Pye, 54, is believed to have been mustering stock when the aircraft crashed on his 29,513-hectare sheep station north of Deniliquin on Wednesday morning.

He and his wife Margie bought the station last year, adding to their other property, a 16,187-hectare sheep and cropping operation near Coonamble in the state's north.

One of Mr Pye's fellow motoring enthusiasts took to an online forum to describe him as a "champion bloke" and "one of the good guys".

Touring Car Masters organisers expressed their shock and sadness over his death.

"He was a fighter on the track, a great part of our paddock off it and he will be missed," they said in a statement.

Recreational Aviation Australia has sent two investigators to the crash site to assist police with an investigation into the crash.