The body of a pilot from Solihull who was hailed a hero after he ditched his plane in the south Caribbean sea has been brought home, his father said.

Robert Mansell, 32, originally from Knowle, ditched the plane with nine passengers on board into the sea after making an emergency mayday call, his employer Divi Divi Air said.

The passengers survived but Mr Mansell died in the accident in October.

His body was recovered from the choppy sea by a Dutch ship on Friday and repatriated yesterday.

Before being flown to Birmingham Airport, it was taken to a funeral home on the Caribbean island of Curacao, one of five islands in the Dutch Antilles.

His coffin was draped in a Union flag and carried in a procession to the airport, where a ceremony was held.

Roger Mansell, 73, a retired radar expert with the Civil Aviation Authority, was at the airport on Tuesday night when his son's body arrived.

He said: "I'm very happy he's been brought home and am extremely grateful to the Dutch government for very kindly stepping in to pay the bill."

An investigation will be carried out by the Dutch authorities, assisted by the British authorities, to determine the cause of the accident, he said.

A post-mortem examination is being carried out on his son's body and his funeral is planned for January 8.