The occupants of a Cessna 172 airplane escaped unharmed after the plane was flipped over by the exhaust from a nearby aircraft.

Photo: Grant Scott A Cessna 172 flipped over during a training exercise at Kelowna Airport Sunday morning.

The plane, belonging to Kelowna Flightcraft, was on a training exercise.

"At approximately 11:00 this morning a couple of our employees were involved in a training flight," says Kelowna Flightcraft's Director of Human resources Grant Stevens.

"An instructor and a trainee were taxiing in behind an aircraft that was under a power run and ended up flipping over the aircraft."

The Cessna was approaching the other aircraft at a perpendicular angle, and as it passed behind, the back draft from the other plane's engines hit the Cessna broadside, lifting the plane over.

"The (Cessna) plane had started moving under its own power. It had just received clearance from the tower to proceed to the taxi-way. It was en route to the taxi-way and it happened on our (Kelowna Flightcraft's) tarmac area," says Stevens.

Fortunately neither person in the Cessna was injured, however Stevens was unable to confirm whether the trainee or the instructor was at the controls at the time of the incident.

"We're very pleased the airport rescue services did a great job in getting there and making sure everybody was safe and sound."

Quick action by the instructor in shutting off the engine and fuel flow prevented any fuel leaks and reduced the risk of fire or explosion.

"It's a very unfortunate mishap, but it's a huge relief nobody was hurt in the incident," says Stevens.

The amount of damage to the Cessna has not yet been determined and the RCMP and Kelowna Flightcraft are both currently conducting investigations into the incident.

Since the event occurred on Kelowna Flightcraft's tarmac area, normal service in and out of Kelowna Airport was maintained.