Light aircraft crashes into Beijing's tallest tower, pilot killed

A single-engine light sport aircraft crashed into Beijing's tallest building on Friday evening, killing the pilot and injuring 13 people near the structure. 

According to the Chaoyang District government, the event happened at 5:55pm on June 26, when the two-seated aeroplane crashed into CITIC Tower, a 528-metre skyscraper located in Beijing’s Central Business District.

There were no passengers inside the plane besides the pilot.

The crash marks an unusual incident for a capital city with some of the world's most tightly controlled airspace. Beijing does restrict civilian aviation because of security concerns, so unauthorised flights become exceptionally rare, if not nearly none at all.

The crash happened near the East Third Ring Road, in Chaoyang, about 6 kilometres from the Forbidden City, which is one of China's most visited tourist places. It also is fairly close to Zhongnanhai, the compound that holds the top political leadership offices in China, so officials would have a lot more reasons to watch the situation closely.

Two glass panels from the structure’s front were missing, causing an opening that was boarded up temporarily by Saturday. According to the Chaoyang District government, the victims are being treated, and an investigation is being conducted about the accident. No information regarding the probable cause of the crash was disclosed by the officials.

This event comes after the May 2026 Beijing ban on any unauthorised buying, renting, and flying of drones for reasons of public security. This is the first aircraft crash to happen in Beijing since the 2022 crash of a tourist helicopter from Changping to Fangshan Districts.