A pilot who managed to land his light aircraft on a packed beach with his cockpit filling with smoke has won a top aviation safety award.

Sudden engine failure at 2,000ft left Christopher Linton, 33, piloting his Beech Bonanza aircraft with no power and limited visibility after he had taken off from Shoreham airport in May 2002.

With his windscreen splattered with oil, Mr Linton saw Worthing beach and realised his only other landing option was the sea so he glided down towards the shingle.

He turned off the fuel and electronics and got one of his two passengers to hold open a door to help clear the smoke as he landed just yards from sunbathers and holidaymakers who dived for cover.

The self-employed furniture maker and his passengers, cousin David Ellison and brother James, escaped with only minor injuries.

Mr Linton, of Cheltenham, was awarded the Tiger Moth Trophy, the top prize in the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) General Aviation Safety Awards for 2002.

He said: "It was a very proud moment. It turned what was a fairly negative experience into a positive thing."

Firefighters and aviation experts praised his quick-thinking and skills, which averted a disaster and saved the lives of his two passengers and scores of beach users and pedestrians along the bustling esplanade.

The CAA said Mr Linton, who lives with his partner and their son, had shown "high standards of airmanship in very difficult circumstances".