The pilot of a helicopter that crashed into the North Sea on Wednesday wanted to call his boss before calling his wife to tell her he was safe, British media have reported.

The Super Puma helicopter was carrying 16 passengers and two crew members on the way to an oil rig when it plunged into the icy waters off Scotland on Wednesday.

All those on board, including four Maltese passengers, survived uninjured in what has been likened to the "miracle" landing in New York's Hudson River. It was reported that the oil workers were locked in brace positions for an emergency landing until water started pouring into their aircraft.

The Aberdeen Evening Express reported yesterday how pilot Michael Tweedie, the last to leave the life raft, asked rescuers for the phone number of his bosses so he could tell them the helicopter had been ditched.

Caledonian Victory skipper Steve Roberts said stunned crewmen who helped pluck the pilot told him he should be calling his wife and gave him a strong cup of coffee.

At least one of the Maltese men - who had been on their way to a BP oil platform when the helicopter ditched - has arrived in Malta although attempts to contact him were futile. It is not known whether the others have also returned as information was very hard to come by.

The mother of one of the Maltese oil workers spoke of her shock on hearing that four Maltese men were on board a ditched helicopter. "I immediately thought of my son," Josephine Gomes, the mother of oil rig worker Adrian Gomes, said.

Mrs Gomes said her son's girlfriend called her some time later to say he was well.

Mr Gomes was aboard the helicopter with Richard Gauci, Keith Spiteri and Emmanuel Spiteri, along with the other 14 workers. A representative of Bond, which owns the helicopter, said this was a routine crew change. The helicopter has a capacity of 19 passengers and two crew members.

The helicopter involved in Wednesday's incident was part of a new generation of the fleet. According to the BBC, the five-bladed EC225 was one of three delivered to Aberdeen-based Bond Offshore Helicopters last year. The company provides air transport for energy installations in the North Sea.

An inquiry into the accident has started by an 11-strong team of the Air Accidents Investigation Branch. The North Sea is considered one of the most hostile operational areas for helicopters.