Former NZ Fire service national commander Mike Hall was one of two occupants killed in a light plane crash on Sunday

The aircraft crashed in the Tararua Ranges after taking off for a training flight in Foxton.

Former colleagues say Hall, who lived on the Kapiti Coast, was a respected firefighter and boss.

He was named a companion of the Queen's Service Order for his services to the state and steered staff through some of the country's large scale disasters, including the Christchurch earthquakes.