Plane crash in Beijing halts scenic flights, exposes airspace gaps

A tiny plane hit Beijing’s CITIC Tower, killing the pilot and injuring 13 people on the ground, and the crash has already grounded scenic flights in multiple cities.

The only person on board was the pilot, who died, and 13 people were injured at the scene. The injured were receiving medical treatment, and authorities were still investigating the incident. The aircraft struck CITIC Tower, also known as China Zun, the tallest building in Beijing and one of the city’s most tightly watched landmarks.

The business fallout was immediate. At least one Beijing-based provider of scenic flight services halted tours, and another operator in Qingdao suspended services after the crash. Beijing Capital Helicopter expected a nationwide suspension tied to the security incident in Beijing and did not know when services would resume, estimating one or two months.

The crash raised questions about how a small fixed-wing aircraft got close enough to a heavily restricted area to strike a tower in the center of the capital. Flightradar24 data showed an aircraft with registration B-12PP in the air around 5:30 p.m. on Friday in Beijing’s northeastern suburbs before tracking stopped in Chaoyang district. The aircraft was identified as a Sunward SA60L Aurora light sport plane operating from Shifosi Airport in Pinggu District.

China has been promoting a low-altitude economy that covers scenic flights, aviation training and emerging air mobility services, with a projection of about 1.5 trillion yuan by 2025. That policy push was given fresh emphasis in 2026 as officials backed low-altitude aviation, eVTOL development and general aviation.