Spy plane pilot says no apology necessary

The pilot of the US spy plane involved in the spy plane dispute in China says his crew has no reason to apologise to the Chinese.

The US plane made an emergency landing on a Chinese island after a collision with a Chinese fighter jet.

Osborn said the Chinese were polite and respectful and fed them well.

He said the only unpleasant part of the detention was lack of sleep and unpleasant interrogations.

"I'm here to tell you we did it right," said Lt. Shane Osborn, commander of the U.S. spy mission. "No apologies necessary on our part."

Osborn spoke at a news conference before the crew headed for a five-hour flight to Washington state for welcoming celebrations at their home base.

The EP-3E was "straight, steady, holding altitude, heading away from Hainan island, on autopilot, when the accident occurred," Osborn said.

"The first thing I thought was, 'This guy just killed us,"' Osborn said, giving a vivid account of the moments after the collision with the Chinese fighter, whose pilot China officially confirmed was killed.

None of the other 22 crew members spoke; they lined up behind Osborn and Mellos before boarding a C-9 military aircraft.

The crew's 11-day captivity ended with what the Chinese accepted as apologies by President George W. Bush. Secretary of State Colin Powell described that characterisation as Chinese propaganda.