business
Small Plane Strikes Beijing's Tallest Skyscraper on June 26
A lightweight aircraft registered to a flight training company hit the CITIC Tower, prompting evacuation of the building and street closures. Authorities limited public information and discouraged photography at the scene.
citizen.co.zaAudio version
Tap play to generate a narrated version.
A small plane crashed into the CITIC Tower, Beijing's tallest skyscraper, on June 26. Video footage showed pieces of the aircraft falling to the street and a small hole in the building's side. The plane was a lightweight model with only a few seats and was registered to Shuangyue General Aviation, a regional flight training provider.
Data from FlightRadar showed the aircraft took off from an airfield in Beijing's eastern Pinggu district, circled the area, then flew west into the city center. The building was evacuated and at least one street was closed. A CNN journalist saw people gathered near the entrance alongside firetrucks, police cars and an ambulance.
Ian Petchenik, a spokesman for FlightRadar, said the aircraft is normally used for pilot training east of Beijing and that this flight was out of character with those operations. He added that nothing could be ruled out at this point. Police prevented passers-by from taking pictures and asked others to delete images.
A courier who was nearby described the crash as louder than fireworks and said he had shot video of the aircraft sticking out of the building before deleting it. The CITIC Tower is home to Citic Group, one of China's largest state-owned financial conglomerates. The word "Beijing" appeared exactly once in the top 50 trending topics on Weibo, in a post about a toddler falling off a hospital bed.
Beijing stopped allowing residents to buy or fly drones on May 1.
