Two people have been killed in a plane crash in Queensland that ignited a bushfire that had to be extinguished by multiple firefighting crews.

Emergency crews rushed to Heck Field, a private airstrip north of the Gold Coast, after the plane went down in nearby bushland about 6am on Tuesday.

The 73-year-old pilot from Beenleigh and a male passenger, believed to be from Sydney, died after the aircraft crashed soon after takeoff at the Jacobs Well site, police said.

The wreckage caught alight on impact, sparking a fire in bushland about 500 metres from the airstrip.

The two victims were the only occupants of the single-engine plane that was headed for a town near Tamworth, in NSW.

“That crash has been so significant that both occupants were unable to survive,” Superintendent Brett Jackson said on Tuesday.

Police said it was too early to speculate on the cause of the crash.

The pilot’s flight history will be probed as part of the investigation into the planned flight at the private airstrip.

“We are aware the planned flight was to a small town just outside of Tamworth, so we have that information,” Jackson said.

“As to the intention behind the trip, I don’t actually have that information; that will form part of the investigation.”

A large plume of smoke could be seen kilometres from the crash site late on Tuesday morning, while about 50 emergency services personnel were on the scene.

The crash site has been difficult to access for the ambulance, police and fire crews due to farmland and a nearby creek.

Water bombers have been called in to assist crews working to contain the large bushfire, which is burning through nearby cane paddocks and vegetation.

SES crews were also helping by ferrying resources including forensic equipment across a creek to the crash site, police said.

A large plume of smoke could be seen kilometres from the crash site, and  nearby residents were advised to stay inside with their windows and doors closed.

Jacobs Well is a private airstrip where airplane owners can rent hangers and take private flights.

–with AAP