'Painstaking process': Crashed plane's journey began in Riverina

Police yesterday said initial inquiries into the crash, which sparked a bushfire and emergency response at Appin, suggested the light fixed-wing plane took off from Temora.

Initial investigations by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau revealed the plane was not a mass-produced aircraft, but a small, two-seater plane from the United States with a Subaru engine.

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Two men are believed to be those who died in the crash.

They are yet to be formally identified but are believed to be aged 67 and 68.

Emergency services had responded to reports of a fire in bushland in the vicinity of Appin Road and Colliery Road at Appin shortly before 3pm on Monday.

Following an extensive search of the area, crews located a plane with the two men deceased on board.

Officers from the Campbelltown Police Area Command established a crime scene and are working with ATSB investigators as inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the crash continue.

ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said while the flight path was still under investigation, the plane may have been on its way to Wedderburn Airstrip in Campbelltown.

While the plane was originally registered in the United States, authorities are yet to determine how long it has been in Australia.

The ATSB will attempt to map the exact flight path of the plane and other details of the crash as investigations continue.

"It will be a painstaking process for investigators to piece together what they can from the site," Mr Mitchell said.

Police, investigators from the ATSB and Rural Fire Service personnel remain at the Appin crash site.

RFS firefighters are continuing to manage parts of the bush where fires were sparked by Monday's crash to ensure the areas do not reignite.

A report will be prepared for the coroner.

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