Small plane crashes into Beijing's tallest tower, police identify owner

A small aircraft struck Beijing’s CITIC Tower on Friday, and police closed roads around the city’s tallest building and kept passersby from filming near the scene. Police identified the owner of a car searched after the strike. Authorities did not immediately give a detailed public account of the crash, which appeared to have hit the upper section of the skyscraper in Beijing’s central business district.

Witnesses described the aircraft as about the size of a car. Flightradar24 confirmed the crash. Images and video circulating online showed debris near the tower and signs of damage to the building.

CITIC Tower, also known as China Zun, is a 108-storey skyscraper that opened in 2019 and stands 1,732 feet tall, making it Beijing’s tallest building and the 10th tallest in the world. The tower is the headquarters of state-owned CITIC Group.

The plane was a Sunward SA 60L Aurora owned by a local aviation company. Investigators were also looking at Shifosi airfield in Beijing’s eastern Pinggu District as the likely departure point.

In 2002, a small private plane hit Milan’s Pirelli building, killing at least three people and injuring dozens.