Plane hits Beijing's Citic Tower, forcing evacuations across business district

Beijing,UPDATED: Jun 26, 2026 20:16 IST

A light sport aircraft crashed into Beijing's tallest skyscraper, the Citic Tower, on Friday, triggering evacuations from the building. It was not immediately clear whether there were any casualties or how many people were on board the aircraft, debris from which was scattered across the Chinese capital's central business district.

The origin of the plane and the circumstances leading to the crash were not known. Officials had not commented on the incident, while posts about the crash were quickly removed from Chinese social media.

Videos posted online showed the aircraft hitting the upper floors of the 528-metre tower, with pieces of wreckage falling on to the surrounding pavement and green space. Additional footage showed people being evacuated from the building, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported. A woman identified by her surname Lin told the Post she was urgently evacuated from the building at 6 pm. "I ran out without my ID card or bag," she said.

A bystander who works in a nearby building said he heard a loud noise at around 5.40 pm, but had not seen the crash. Police cordoned off roads around the site and dispersed the crowd. A heavy police presence was seen around the skyscraper, and several ambulances were also parked near the building.

Online photographs of the wreckage showed the aircraft's registration number as B-12PP, while Flightradar24 records identified it as a Sunward SA60L Aurora, a two-seat, single-engine light sport aircraft made by China's Starair Aircraft Co. One social media post claimed the aircraft was operated by a local company that offers private pilot training, aerial sightseeing and aircraft management, but calls to the company went unanswered on Friday night. Flying any light sport aircraft in Beijing requires stringent approval from both the Civil Aviation Administration of China and the People's Liberation Army Air Force. Last month, Beijing brought in sweeping airspace rules that effectively banned casual recreational flying and consumer drones, with all outdoor flights requiring prior government and air traffic approval. The crash at the Citic Tower led to evacuations and a large emergency response, while questions over casualties, the aircraft's origin and the circumstances behind the incident remained unanswered late on Friday.

With PTI Inputs

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