HALIFAX -- A small airplane crashed in the St. John River near Grand Bay-Westfield, N.B. Saturday night.

RCMP say they received a call at 9:18 p.m. of a plane that had landed in the river.

RCMP Cpl. Jean-Francois Martel tells CTV News that the pilot experienced a mechanical failure and made an emergency landing on the river shortly after 9 p.m.

The pilot was the only passenger in the plane, and suffered minor injuries in the crash.

A good samaritan picked up the pilot in a boat and took him to shore.

The Coast Guard attended the scene and retrieved the remnants of the plane, and were tasked with taking the plane out of the water.

RCMP say the investigation is in its early stages. Coast Guard, Transportation Safety Board and Grand Bay-Westfield Fire Department all attended the scene.