A pilot was killed and 13 people on the ground were injured after a light aircraft crashed into Beijing's tallest building on Friday, in a rare aviation incident in the Chinese capital, where airspace is tightly controlled.
According to local authorities, the single-engine, two-seat aircraft collided with the high-rise building near Beijing's East Third Ring Road at around 5:55 p.m. local time.
The pilot, who was the only person on board, died in the crash, while the injured individuals were receiving medical treatment, the Chaoyang district government said in a statement issued on Saturday.
The building involved in the incident is the 528-metre-high CITIC Tower, also known as China Zun, a landmark skyscraper located in Beijing's Central Business District, approximately six kilometres from the Forbidden City and close to Zhongnanhai, the compound housing China's top leadership.
Images circulating on Chinese social media showed debris from the aircraft and identified the plane as registration number B-12PP. Flight-tracking data reviewed by Reuters indicated that the aircraft had been flying over Beijing's northeastern suburbs before heading toward the city centre, with tracking ending shortly before the crash.
According to Flightradar24 data, the aircraft was an Aurora SA60L, a two-seat, single-engine light-sport aircraft manufactured by Chinese company Sunward.
The registration number was linked to Beijing-based Dongshi Shuangyue General Aviation, a company that offers sightseeing flights and aviation training, although Reuters could not independently confirm whether the aircraft was still owned or operated by the company at the time of the crash or whether the pilot was affiliated with it.
The crash caused limited visible damage to the exterior of the skyscraper, leaving a hole where two large glass panels had been dislodged. Authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the accident.
