Pilot recovers after fatal Qld plane crash

A pilot involved in a fatal biplane crash on the Gold Coast is recovering in hospital.

Ryan Campbell, 21, remains in a serious condition in a Brisbane hospital after the crash that killed passenger Gary Turnbull.

It's believed Mr Turnbull's daughter saw the crash unfold from an aircraft hanger.

Mr Campbell managed to call triple-zero from the wreckage despite being trapped in the mangled, upside down plane for more than 30 minutes.

He suffered spinal injuries, as well as head and facial injuries, and was airlifted to the Princess Alexandra Hospital.

The vintage Tiger Moth plane came down in bushland shortly after take-off from an airstrip at Norwell, near Pimpama, on Monday morning.

Mr Campbell began flying as a teenager and in 2003 became the youngest person to fly solo around the world in 70 days.

"It is a wonderful achievement to fly that distance in a single-engine aircraft," his friend, Des Heffernan, told ABC radio.

"He is an incredible young person."