The head of the nation's private pilot lobby group died in Sydney yesterday after a plane he was testing apparently developed engine trouble.

Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association president Ron Bertram was flying circuits and conducting touch-and-go exercises - when the pilot lands and takes off again - at Sydney's Bankstown Airport in a Lancair 360 single-engine aircraft.

He was believed to have been taking off after several touch-and-goes on runway 29 when the plane banked steeply to the right and crashed on a section of taxiway at about 2.40pm.

Air-traffic controllers received a message from Mr Bertram that the plane was was experiencing engine trouble and witnesses said they heard the engine backfire or splutter.

An Airservices Australia spokesman said tapes of the message had been handed to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau. He said the aircraft had hit the ground at high speed after doing a steep right turn and was destroyed on impact.

Witness and fellow pilot Todd Jackson told Southern Cross Broadcasting that Mr Bertram had no hope of surviving the crash.

"I really felt for the gentleman. He had no chance at all, just none at all," Mr Jackson said.

The Lancair was understood to be on its first flight after being overhauled by a maintenance operation run by Mr Bertram.