Hero pilot executed landing 'like a football player' as the country watched on

The pilot has spoken out after the dramatic incident which saw the 10-seater King Air flight make a successful 'belly-landing' after its wheels failed and it was forced to fly for several hours to burn off fuel before attempting to come down on the tarmac.

"About an hour before, I started preparing for the landing mentally," Mr Schott told Nine news.

"Almost like a football player, I just executed what I had to do.

"It's all about minimising risk."

It took just 10 seconds for the plane to ground to a halt on the Williamtown runway, but for the thousands of people watching with bated breath it felt like a lifetime.

Fire and Rescue crews were first on scene as other emergency vehicles quickly followed, but the two Central Coast passengers on board and the 53-year-old pilot were unharmed.

Passenger Michael Reynolds praised the pilot's skill and calm demeanour in landing him and his wife to safety.

"He did a wonderful job ... he was 100 per cent calm all the time, you gotta give it to him," he told Nine news as the couple left the tarmac.

Mr Schott said he "felt bad" for Mr Reynolds who was on the flight to celebrate his 60^th birthday, but instead ended up vomiting from the turbulence as the plane circled the airport for nearly two hours while plans were put in place for the landing.

The Eastern Air Service flight had taken off from Newcastle bound for Port Macquarie, but it was quickly discovered that the landing gear had failed.

Mr Schott said he knew shortly after takeoff that something was wrong after he heard "mechanical sounds" and he quickly made the decision to end the flight.

"By making an early decision I could stay visible over the cloud and carry out my checks," he said.

He then spoke with every King Air expert he could to make sure his landing plan was the best option for a good outcome, but unexpected rain and bird hazards made the job more complicated.

"And at the end of the day, I just, you know, implemented, the plan of action."

The plane's strange flight pattern caught the attention of those underneath its path.

Medowie resident Scott Campbell rushed to watch the emergency landing as "it's not something you see every day".

Mr Campbell said people in the crowd had their "fingers crossed" as the plane descended through the clouds.

"Everyone was sort of there and freaking out about what was going on," he told the Newcastle Herald.

"It came in really smooth and really slow, and landed with no issue.

"When it hit the runway, you heard the scraping of metal ... it was just like a metal-on-metal sort of scraping or loud grinding sound."

In a public statement, Newcastle Airport has said it was "incredibly relieved" the aircraft landed safely.

"We're investigating options to recover the aircraft and re-open the airfield as soon as possible," the statement said.

"We will update our socials with more information as it becomes available.

"Passengers are encouraged to speak to their airline directly if they have any questions."