A 67-year-old man from New Zealand and his instructor were killed in a tragic gyroplane crash in Australia.

Robert William Brockbank and his instructor Sam La Bruna were found dead at the scene when their light aircraft crashed in a paddock after taking off from Mangalore Airport, 120km north of Melbourne on Saturday afternoon, APNZ reported.

No one was able to see the crash, but a motorist came across the crash site about 12.30pm.

Ambulance Victoria confirmed the two men were found dead at the scene.

Air crash safety investigators arrived on Sunday, taking over the investigation started by the police, who did not rule out foul play in the crash.

Hunter Jones, secretary of the Australian Sports Rotorcraft Association (ASRA) said no details about the crash will be released until official reports are completed.

Mr. Jones told APNZ that the pilot, Mr. La Bruna, was "an industry colleague" who was "meticulous in everything he did, including his approach to flying and instructing.

"Sam was very experienced and so it came as a huge shock to the Australian gyro industry," he stressed.

Mr. La Bruna was supposed to have another session with a different student after his round with Mr. Brockbank.

Stanley Yeong, who was waiting to take the next lesson, told The Sunday Age newspaper that he became worried when the gyroplane failed to return to the "very windy" airfield after two hours.

"They were only supposed to be gone for one hour. I started trying to call them but I couldn't get through. I'm shocked. [The pilot] was very experienced - he loved to fly," he said.

Mr. Jones, a gyroplane expert, doubted whether high winds played a part in the crash, APNZ reported.

"I wasn't there, so I wasn't aware of the conditions or the circumstances, but by the nature of its design and mode of flight, gyro is considerably more stable in wind than fixed-wing aircraft. It is able to withstand fairly high winds, of 20-plus knots," he said.