An air cadet has escaped with only minor injuries after crash landing a glider on the top of a building in Langley, B.C., east of Vancouver.

The plane landed in a residential area, at the intersection of 208th Street and 56th Avenue.

Bill Yearwood, a Transportation Safety Board spokesperson, said the cadet was on a training exercise.

"We understand that this cadet in the glider lost track of the airport and did a forced landing," he said.

"Unfortunately, he ended up on the building and our information at this time is that his injuries appear to be minor."

The Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the crash landing.

Bob Scott, deputy fire chief of Langley City Fire-Rescue, said the building's flat roof covered an area just 18 metres by 7.5 metres in size.

"We're not sure if it was luck or skill that got him to set the glider down on the roof," said Scott, noting the close proximity of the intersection and power lines.

"It could have been a considerably different scenario had that glider come in contact with those power lines."

Scott said firefighters found the glider intact but its wings damaged and a hole punched through the building's roof by the front-nose wheel.