A small single-engine plane crash-landed near Ottawa, dodging power lines and striking a street sign on the way down before coming to a stop at the side of a rural road.

The pilot was the only person on board, and managed to walk away without injury. The aircraft suffered heavy damage.

Tirique Mayers said he spotted the plane in the air before arriving at the scene of the crash around 2 p.m. He spoke to the pilot shortly after.

“I felt like my heart just stopped and started racing,” he told CTV Ottawa on Tuesday. “He said, ‘Imagine how I felt when the engine died on me.’”

Officials have not determined the cause of the crash. A stretch of Rifle Road was closed for several hours while firefighters stabilized the damaged aircraft.

Mayers said the pilot appeared to be in good spirits in the moments after the crash.

“I’m just happy he is good. I just want everybody to be safe,” he said. “It’s crazy. Things can happen real quick.”

With a report from CTV Ottawa’s Megan Shaw