THE pilot of a twin-engined plane was killed when it plunged into the sea metres from a northern NSW beach yesterday.

The man was trying to make an emergency landing on Casuarina beach at Kingscliff after both the plane’s engines failed.

The accident happened shortly after takeoff from nearby Coolangatta airport at about 5pm.

The pilot’s body was later washed up on to the beach. Helicopters hovered over the normally quiet resort as police continued a search of the waters.

A police spokesman said while it was believed there had only been one person on board, the search was being continued as a “duty of care” just in case there had been passengers. The spokesman said a report would be prepared for the coroner.

A spokeswoman for Australian Search and Rescue said the plane was believed to have hit the sea at high speed.

“Our rescue centre was notified about 4.30pm by the Coolangatta air-traffic control centre,” she said.

“A four-seater twin Comanche that had just taken off from Coolangatta airport had indicated double engine failure. The pilot was going to make an emergency landing on a Kingscliff beach.

“The aircraft subsequently ditched into the sea about 100metres offshore in two metres of water.

“We tasked the Careflight helicopter out of Coolangatta, which reported back to us about 5.40pm … that they had located the aircraft and that one deceased person had been washed up on shore.”

The crash comes a month after two friends from Goulburn died when their light plane crashed in the NSW southern tablelands.

John Guthrie, 65, a father of two, and Neville Smith, 54, a father of three, were killed when their $130,000 Czech-built Sting crashed near Gunning on January 6.