Investigators are looking into whether an experienced pilot and skydiving instructor attempted to exit from a plane before he died in a fatal crash on the NSW south coast.

Paul Smith, 57, was killed on September 27 when the aircraft he was piloting crashed in bushland north of Moruya Airport, only minutes after a group of parachutists jumped out of the plane safely.

The preliminary report from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) found that the turboprop Pilatus PC-6 plane had completed eight successful parachute jump flights on the day it crashed.

Just before the accident, the aircraft had taken off from Moruya Airport shortly before 2pm for a ninth parachute jump flight.

At 2:06pm, Mr Smith radioed that eight parachutists had successfully exited and the aircraft was heading

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