The wreckage of a twin-engine light aircraft with four people on board has been found on a mountain near Cairns in north Queensland.

Rescuers said there appeared to be no survivors.

The Aero Commander 500 disappeared on Tuesday while on a two-hour flight from Cairns to Hicks Island.

Australian Search and Rescue spokesman Ben Mitchell said the wreckage was spotted on Thornton Peak, about 32km northwest of Cairns, yesterday afternoon.

"The crash was assessed as being non-survivable," he said.

The chartered plane was carrying three Telstra workers.