Small aircraft crashes into Beijing's tallest skyscraper, videos show

Debris fell from Beijing’s tallest skyscraper after a small aircraft hit CITIC Tower, also known as China Zun, in the capital’s central business district. Videos posted online showed damage to the tower’s facade, while Reuters witnesses described the aircraft as about the size of a car and police closed roads around the building.

The collision happened on Friday, June 26, 2026, at the 528-meter tower that became Beijing’s tallest building after it was completed in 2018. The building has been described in different accounts as 108 or 109 stories tall and serves as the headquarters of the state-owned CITIC Group.

Images and videos circulating on social media showed a hole or broken glass in the exterior, and a person working in the building said the impact set off a fire alarm. As of Friday afternoon, officials had not released information on injuries or fatalities. The pilot’s identity and condition were also not known.

Flightradar24 identified the aircraft as a Sunward SA 60L Aurora and said it took off from an airport about 50 kilometers east of Beijing. A partial registration number, B-12PP, was visible in at least one AP photo of the wreckage.

The crash drew immediate attention because of the location and the silence that followed. CITIC Tower stands as a visible landmark in Beijing’s business district, and the lack of official details about the aircraft, the flight path and anyone aboard has intensified scrutiny of how such an incident reached the city’s most prominent high-rise without a public explanation.