BERNE — A Berne resident called 9-1-1 Wednesday morning after seeing an upside-down plane in a field behind his house on the Berne-Altamont Road, according to State Police who determined the plane’s pilot, its only occupant, was unharmed.

The yellow 1941 Piper Cub was piloted by Clifford A. Souza, 59, from Pattersonville, New York, according to a release from the State Police.

Souza was standing outside of his plane when police arrived close to 8 o’clock on Wednesday morning. They learned that Souza had crashed about 12 hours before, on Tuesday night at 7:04 p.m.

Souza, at 6:30 p.m., had taken off from the Duanesburg Airport, a privately owned, publicly used facility with a grass and gravel runway that is 45 feet wide and 2,600 feet long.

Souza told police that he conducted a low approach over the field in Berne to assess it as a potential landing site.

“During the approach, the aircraft’s wheels contacted tall grass, resulting in a loss of airspeed and performance,” the release said, so Souza made an emergency landing, during which the plane nosed over and came to rest inverted.

Because it was getting dark and he saw no hazards, Souza left the scene with a friend, planning to return the next morning.

There is no indication of criminal activity, the State Police said, and alcohol is not believed to be a factor.

The scene was turned over to the Federal Aviation Administration and the plane will be released to the pilot following the agency’s assessment.