DEKALB COUNTY, Ind. (WOWO) — The pilot says he was trying to land but the sun was in his eyes and he ended up clipping the tree with the wing of his plane, sending him nose-first into the ground, in a field near State Road 3.

The LaOtto Fire Department says the pilot, who was the only person in the plane, suffered from a gash on his face and a bruised arm and leg.

He refused treatment at the scene, but his family did end up taking him to the hospital.

The plane was a total loss.