Small aircraft crashes into Beijing’s CITIC Tower skyscraper

A small aircraft crashed into Beijing's tallest building, the CITIC Tower, on Friday, according to the global flight tracking service provider Flightradar24. The incident occurred in the city's business district, prompting evacuations and a heavy police presence.

The flight path of the plane, a Sunward SA 60L Aurora, was posted by Flightradar24 on social media, showing that it took off from an airport about 50 kilometers east of Beijing and headed westward before ending just east of the East Third Ring Road shortly before 6 p.m. Local time. The plane crashed into the 108-story CITIC Tower, also known as China Zun, which rises more than 1,700 feet and is one of the most recognizable skyscrapers in Beijing.

Images and videos shared on social media appeared to show debris from a small aircraft near the skyscraper, with one image of the wreckage showing a partial registration number of "B-12." The full registration number of the aircraft is B-12PP. Photos taken by The Associated Press show what appears to be a hole in the glass facade on one side of the CITIC Tower.

A person working in the building told The Associated Press that an aircraft crashed into the skyscraper, triggering a fire alarm. The person spoke on condition of anonymity due to fear of retaliation, as incidents such as crashes are considered sensitive by Chinese authorities.

A heavy police presence, as well as fire engines and ambulances, were seen outside the building. Onlookers gathered to observe and take pictures, but police asked them to stop photographing and leave the area.

Chinese authorities have not issued a statement, nor has the crash been reported by state media. Social media posts about the crash have been scrubbed from China's walled-off internet, though footage has made its way outside of China's firewall and is circulating on overseas sites such as X.com.

The cause of the crash, the identity of the pilot, and the number of casualties remain unclear. Beijing authorities had recently enacted new curbs on the city's already tightly regulated airspace, effectively banning the sale and operation of consumer drones within the capital.