Pilot Nigel Smith has been praised after he landed a passenger plane safely despite the aircraft having a burst tyre.

Captain Smith was at the controls of a Flybe Bombardier aircraft with 56 passengers on board that landed safely at Exeter airport after the tyre had burst on take-off in Holland.

Mr Smith, 41, whose parents Tony and Sally live in Stonebridge Close, Marlborough, put himself through pilot training after running an outward bound school for some years.

The former St John's School student lives with his wife Julie at Cold Ashton, near Chippenham. His wife's mother is Marlborough town and county councillor Marian Hannaford.

Mr Smith qualified as a commercial pilot in 2001 and joined Exeter-based Flybe two and a half years ago He was flying one of the airline's Bombardier Q400 turbo-prop aircraft from Amsterdam to Exeter on Thursday. On take off passengers and crew heard one of the aircraft's front tyres burst.

The Bombardier is fitted with twin front tyres and it was one of the inside ones that blew out.

The 17.20 flight from Amsterdam was due to land at the Devon airfield at 17.55 but was forced to circle for half an hour.

Mr Smith followed emergency procedures and asked his passengers to adopt the brace position. But he skilfully piloted the aircraft down and it made a standard landing, although the airport fire crews had been put on standby.

One of the 60 people on board was Plymouth-based journalist Louise Walter who praised the pilot's coolness and professionalism in getting the aircraft down safely.

She said passengers did not know what was wrong when they approached Exeter to be told to adopt the brace position, legs together and leaning forward, for the landing.

"I have flown for years and this was the first time anything like this has happened," she said. "It was certainly a nerve-racking one. There were a couple of people who were behaving in perhaps a way that did not help others, panicking, getting up out of their seats and trying to make phone calls to relatives.

"Most of the other passengers thought well, one tyre burst, it will be okay, there are another three to land on."

Flybe pilots are not permitted to talk to the press but a colleague of Mr Smith said: "He made a text book landing.

"That is why Flybe employs good pilots."