Pilot mourned after NSW light plane crash

The brother of a pilot killed in a light plane crash near Bathurst says "he died like he lived, right on the edge".

Jason Spencer, 44, failed to return to the Upper Turon airfield in regional NSW after taking off at 2pm on Friday, with air and ground crews searching for his plane until 11pm.

The search resumed at first light on Saturday and the irrigation plane was found at about 8.30am, in bushland in the Upper Turon area, police say.

Mr Spencer's body was inside the wreckage.

In a post to Facebook on Sunday, his brother Matt Spencer said he will miss the man who was "too rare to die".

"He'd tell me 'dry your eyes princess' if I mourned his death instead of celebrating his life," he said in the post.

"So I will simply respect the fact that he died like he lived, right on the edge and I know it's how you would have wanted it.

"It's not easy for those of us left behind but I promise he'd appreciate the respect he's earned more than the grief we are feeling right now."

Friend John McTavish commented: "Wise beyond his years. Taken before his time. You are my inspiration Jason Spencer and I will miss you each and every day."

Mr Spencer obtained his commercial pilot licence (CPL) at Aero Dynamic Flight Academy in Caboolture, north of Brisbane.

"It is with deep sadness that one of our past students ... a CPL graduate, has been killed in an aircraft accident near Bathurst NSW," a post on the flight school's Facebook page reads.

"Condolences and thoughts are with the family, friends and fellow students of Jason at this time."

Police will prepare a report for the coroner and investigations into the crash are continuing.