Photos show just how lucky Porepunkah pilot was to survive plane crash

A resident near the scene of Wednesday morning's crash at Porepunkah reported hearing the man's Cessna 182 suffer engine problems.

Questions were raised about the man's decision to fly from the town's small grass airstrip given the runway doesn't have lights, with the takeoff reportedly performed in the dark.

The Queensland based pilot, who also has a home at Porepunkah, crashed into small trees, with the impact destroying the aircraft.

The man suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries.

Emergency crews were alerted to the incident, but it had initially been unclear if a crash had occurred, as the crashed plane was unable to be found.

It's believed the pilot set off an emergency beacon several hours after the incident, which allowed the crash site to be located and the man airlifted to hospital.

An aerodrome reporting officer said the crash had occurred at 4.38am, and paramedics said they were alerted to the incident at 11am.

"A man believed to be in his 50s was airlifted to the Alfred Hospital in a stable condition with upper and lower body injuries," an Ambulance Victoria spokeswoman said.

The pilot crashed into Michael Dalbosco's paddock, with the CFA captain attending the scene.

"He was lucky, considering some of the terrain nearby is quite inaccessible," he said.

"This was just accessible, on farmland.

"It came up on the VicEmergency app that it had been an accident, but it was discounted as there were no witnesses to that actual crash and it was early.

"I think they put some other data together and realised it was a missing plane.

"It appears he's gone down soon after taking off."

The man is believed to be based in Caboolture, north of Brisbane.

Two aerodrome reporting officers at the airfield, who asked not to be named, questioned why the man had flown so early given the lack of lighting.

One man said taking off in the dark was "highly illegal".

The pilot is believed to have previously made the 1200 kilometre journey without stopping, and was thought to have been planning to do the same on his return.

While the council owned airfield is small, it can have up to about six flights leave in a day.

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Those at the scene couldn't remember any crashes in the area in recent years.

The plane crashed to the ground just 300 metres east of rough, mountainous terrain at Mt Buffalo, which would have been difficult for emergency workers to access.

Aviation authorities will investigate the cause of the crash, with engine problems suggested as an issue.

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