Two dead in light plane crash near Taree

A pilot and one passenger have died in a light plane crash 20 metres off the Pacific Highway near Taree in New South Wales.

Police received a number of calls about a plane in trouble at Middle Brother, south of Port Macquarie about 4.30pm.

The two-engine Cessna 310 aircraft was reportedly travelling from Toowoomba in Queensland to Taree when it crashed into trees off the edge of the highway southbound, about 4km north of Johns River.

Police, the Rural Fire Service and NSW Fire and Rescue attended the scene and located the bodies of a man and a woman.

There were no other passengers on board the plane when it crashed.

The wreckage lies about 5-10 metres from a main railway line.

A crime scene has been established and will be examined by forensic officers as emergency crews remain on scene tonight. 

The Australian Transportation Safety Bureau will investigate the cause of the fatal crash and a report will be prepared for the Coroner.