Two people were aboard the small aircraft that crashed into a Feilding park and caught fire.
A number of witnesses reported seeing the unsurvivable crash at Timona Park, on the eastern outskirts of the town, and then catch fire about 10.45am on Monday.
There were two people dead at the scene after earlier reports suggested there may have just been one, Inspector Ken Climo told NZ Newswire.
Police say the plane took off from Taonui Aerodrome, just outside Feilding, approximately 25 minutes before it crashed.
The two men onboard were good friends and well-known in the Manawatu, according to police.
The area has been cordoned off and tents have been erected to help preserve the wreckage and allow for an investigation into the cause of the crash.
A Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team are on scene along with investigators from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
It was reported the aircraft was an Aerostar Yak-52TW, a Romanian-made replica of the 1970s Russian two-seater training aircraft. There is only one such aircraft registered in the country.
Feilding resident Per Maddie told NZ Newswire he heard only one explosion, which he initially thought was a car crash until a neighbour alerted him.
The aircraft crashed about 100 metres into the park from his back fence and came close to other houses, he said.
Most of the wreckage would be underground, he thought.
"There's just a heap of twisted, black metal. There's very little debris, I think it has come down almost vertically."
It was a beautifully calm day, with not a cloud in the sky, he said.
Inspector Mark Harrison says it was lucky the plane didn’t hit nearby housing.
"The park borders a river and residential houses, and has a children's playground, so it is extremely popular with the local community. There were a large number of people in the park at the time and it is extremely fortunate that no-one on the ground was hurt," he says.
The Civil Aviation Authority said it was investigating the crash and two investigators would arrive at the scene in the afternoon.
Police say some family members have been advised of the tragedy but one man still has immediate family who have not been contacted.
The men’s names are expected to be released tomorrow.
In 2010, flying student Patricia Smallman, 64, and flight instructor Jess Neeson, 27, were killed when two Cessnas flown by students collided in midair near Feilding.
NZN