Somalia’s airline has praised one of its pilots after a technically defective passenger plane crash-landed on the coastline next to the capital’s international airport, with all 55 people on board surviving.

Starsky Aviation said the pilot’s quick thinking was critical in saving 50 passengers and five crew members.

Somalia’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said the crew of the Fokker 50 reported the problem shortly after takeoff from Mogadishu on Tuesday morning and requested the plane’s return.

The plane then landed but was unable to stop on the runway, overshooting the tarmac and coming to rest in shallow water, CAA chief Ahmed Macarine Hassan said.