A heartbroken family mourns a young pilot killed in a plane crash in Queensland with a pregnant wife

The heartbroken family of bush pilot Rhiley Kuhrt, who died with his pregnant wife in a light plane crash over the weekend, say “he left a very big hole” in their lives.

Kuhrt and his pregnant wife Maree Kuhrt were on their way to visit family, flying from Natal Downs Station to Lakeside Airpark near Mackay, when they were caught in poor weather and crashed, believed to be Sunday afternoon.

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Kuhrt was supposed to be 23 on Wednesday. Instead, his family must deal with grief as they come to terms with the couple’s tragic death.

In an exclusive conversation with 7NEWS, Kuhrt’s family remembered him as an adventurous and cheeky man who loved life just like Maree.

“Maree supplemented him, tamed him,” said his mother Marina Kuhrt.

“I was very proud of my brother, even jealous of him,” added Brother Brenton Kuhrt.

The newlyweds were due to welcome a little girl and had already chosen her name – Phoebe.

When the couple’s Piper Cherokee never made it to its destination on Sunday, Kuhrt’s father, a police officer, worked for Lindsay.

“If anyone would find him, it would be me,” he said.

A crash site was discovered in the Clarke Ranges west of Proserpine on Monday morning and police later confirmed the couple had been found dead.

Marina said her son’s death “left a very big hole in a lot of people’s lives.”

“He was just an incredible person,” added Sister Beccarrah Markham-Gaudion.

Lindsay said the pair were “in a dark place” when they first met but were able to help each other.

He wants others to take away a key message: “There’s no reason why you can’t achieve goals that Rhiley and Maree were able to achieve.”

A community in mourning

The impact of the young family’s death will be widespread in the community, Mackay Mayor Greg Williamson said Tuesday.

The couple were part of the farming and aviation communities, and Khurt’s father is a well-known police officer in Mackay.

“The community is really affected by this tragedy,” Williamson told 7NEWS.

“In that sense, they are two young people from rural areas.

“The rural community is very, very close and the general aviation community is even closer and … the police community is all inclusive.

“Many people are suffering in our region.”

Police say initial investigations suggest the couple “got into trouble with a major storm” on Sunday.

“They would have faced a lot of showers, a lot of thunder and probably almost no visibility,” Queensland Police Inspector Andrew Godbold said Monday.

Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigators are gathering evidence including weather information, witness statements, maintenance records and all records to determine why the plane crashed.

A preliminary report detailing security issues and factors that contributed to the crash is expected to be released in six to eight weeks.

– With Kaitlan Steadman