Small plane crashes into Beijing’s tallest building

A small plane crashed into the 109-story CITIC Tower in Beijing, breaking glass panels and causing many people to evacuate.

The incident happened around 6:00 p.m. today (5:00 p.m. Hanoi time), when a light aircraft believed to be the Sunward SA60L Aurora model crashed into the building. The plane is owned by a local civil aviation company. There is no information on casualties in the incident.

Photos of the scene showed that some of the tower’s glass panels were damaged, while debris and the plane’s tail fell to the base of the building. CNN reporters saw many people evacuate the building and gather on the surrounding streets. Fire trucks, police cars and ambulances were also deployed to the scene.

A woman surnamed Lin said SCMP that she was urgently evacuated from the building at around 6:00 p.m. “I ran out without having time to bring my ID or bag,” she said. A witness working nearby heard a loud noise at around 5:40 p.m., but did not directly witness the fall.

Theo Dimsum Dailythe crashed plane had the registration code B-12PP, operated by Dongshi Shuangyue aviation company.

The pilot apparently took off at 5:30 p.m. About 10 minutes later, the plane was supposed to be preparing to return to land but deviated from its flight path. The plane’s positioning data disappeared near the 5th Ring Road east of Beijing, and subsequent contact efforts were unsuccessful.

Chinese officials have not yet commented on the information. Beijing police blocked the roads around the building, dispersing the crowd and maintaining a heavy force around the scene.

CITIC Tower has a total of 109 floors above ground and 8 basement floors, completed in 2018. With a height of 528 m, this is the tallest building in Beijing.

The project is located in the Central Business District in Chaoyang District, which is considered the busiest financial and economic “heart” of the capital Beijing, with many iconic skyscrapers, multinational corporations and embassies concentrated.

The Sunward SA60L Aurora is a single-engine, two-seat aircraft manufactured by the Chinese company Starair. The aircraft can be used for primary training and sightseeing.