A light aircraft pilot rescued after ocean rowers watched him safely ditch his new plane in the Irish Sea was forced down by engine failure.

Charity rowers who videoed a dramatic crash landing in the Irish Sea tonight spoke of their amazement at seeing the pilot clamber from the wreckage.

Salvage crews have hoisted a US Airways jetliner from the Hudson River and onto a barge days after its pilot made a split-second decision to attempt a water landing to avoid a “catastrophic” crash over populated areas.