A pilot in New Brunswick says he’s lucky to be alive after his aircraft slipped and crashed into a tree.

Doug Desruisseau says he only got about halfway down the 1,300 foot runway he had made on his property.

“Something caught my front ski, maybe just the hard crust, and it veered me right towards the woods,” Desruisseau said. “I was already going too fast to pull the power back and stop so I tried to give it more power and veer away from the trees."

But one of his wings caught the top of the tree line and his early-90s model, ultra-light plane went down.

“The only thing that was going through my mind was just getting out of the situation rather than panicking,” he said. “If I had've panicked and pulled the throttle back I would have went right straight into the base of those trees, and likely I'd have been killed.”

Paramedics and RCMP responded to the scene and Desruisseau was taken to Saint John Regional Hospital for treatment. He was released a short time later uninjured.

Desruisseau says the situation could have ended far worse.

“I guess I don't have brains enough to realize the difference. But I guess the good lord just wasn't ready for me," said Desruisseau.

The Transportation Safety Board was informed of the crash, but since no one was hurt, they will not be investigating.

As for Desruisseau, he has a second plane but will wait out the winter before taking off again.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Laura Brown.