Parachute didn't deploy before fatal NSW plane crash

Peter Brown took the precaution of carrying a parachute on his home-made plane but it wasn't enough to save him.

Mr Brown, 57, was found dead inside the wreckage of his home-made ultralight after crashing in trees, metres from the Lovedale Store and Cafe in the Hunter Valley cafe yesterday.

Hunter Valley Inspector Peter Vromans confirmed his parachute was onboard but it had not been deployed.

"That will be part of the investigations," he said.

Recreational Aviation Australia president Michael Monck said parachutes were not mandatory on flights, though they could add an extra element of safety.

RAA investigators have joined specialists from the aviation support branch on the scene.

The Toronto man's death comes less than five months after 57-year-old Robert Grieg died when he crashed his home-made light plane in the Illawarra Region.

In May last year, three people survived a light aircraft crash in the Blue Mountains when the pilot deployed a parachute at 4000 feet.

Inspector Vromans said police hoped to remove the wreckage later today.