Tuesday's windstorm significantly left its mark at the Springbank Airport, when it lifted a privately owned aircraft from the ground and flipped it over.

At approximately 12:20 p.m. on January 11 a pilot was preparing his lightweight Cessna 182  for a flight to Bonneyville when winds travelling at 74 km/hr caused interference.

According to Springbank Airport General Manager with the Calgary Airport Authority, Larry Stock, that plane never actually left the runway.

"So, we had an aircraft positioning for takeoff on runway 26 at Springbank, a Cessna 182," explains Stock. "As it got to a position where it was actually perpendicular to the wind, the wind lifted the wing, and flipped the aircraft upside down."

The pilot was the lone occupant of the aircraft who was able to free himself from the plane without any injuries. The plane however was damaged substantially when the propeller hit the ground resulting in engine issues.

Stock explains that the Springbank Airport is primarily a training facility and 80 per cent of its traffic is lightweight planes, like the Cessna, used for training.

"Training takes place with the same type of aircraft-- a smaller aircraft similar to the Cessna," explains Stock. "When winds exceed a certain velocity, training flights stop just because it's unsafe to do so. Other flights continue but those are done, with a much heavier aircraft."

Tuesday's wind activity was strong enough to ground training at the Springbank Airport, but the pilot was certified to fly his plane under the conditions.

Stock says he sees his fair share of heavy winds in the area, but in his 25 years at YBW, he's never experienced strong winds flipping an aircraft upside down.

"This is a rather unusual event as a result of wind," explains Stock. "It's not as if we're going to see aircraft take off on their own and end up in places that they shouldn't be -- like in Harmony. So for the folks in Harmony -- not to worry."

A crane was used to remove the plane from the runway, and the incident has been reported to the Transportation Safety Board.