Plane Crashes into Beijing's Tallest Building, Pilot Killed and 13 Injured

Chinese authorities have finally released an official statement regarding the incident of a small plane crashing into Beijing’s tallest building on Friday (26/6). Beijing authorities announced that at least one person, the pilot of the aircraft, was killed in the incident, with 13 other people injured. The cause of the rare incident remains unclear. However, Chinese authorities, as reported by AFP on Saturday (27/6/2026), said that an investigation is underway. The incident occurred at the CITIC Tower skyscraper, also known as China Zun, which is located in the central business district and serves as the headquarters for the state-owned conglomerate, CITIC Group. The 528-metre-tall skyscraper has 108 floors and is recorded as the tallest building in the Chinese capital. Several eyewitnesses reported seeing aircraft debris at the base of the skyscraper, with AFP journalists on the scene observing a hole or damage to glass panels on the upper floors of the building. The Chaoyang district authority in Beijing said in a statement shared via WeChat on Saturday that ‘a light, single-engine, two-seater aircraft crashed into a multi-storey building’ on Friday afternoon at around 5.55 pm local time. ‘The only person in the aircraft was the pilot, who died, and 13 people were injured at the scene,’ the statement read, marking the first official comment from Chinese authorities on the incident. The Chaoyang district authority’s statement also mentioned that the relevant authorities are ‘conducting further investigations into the incident’. Video footage taken by an eyewitness from a nearby building showed several fire engines spraying water towards a small blaze on a protruding part of the CITIC Tower near ground level, as well as onto the pavement. Photographs from the scene also showed an object resembling part of a small aircraft lying on the ground next to the building. A man who works at CITIC Tower told AFP: ‘I saw debris as I was about to leave. It looked like part of an aircraft.’ Police closed off roads around the building, with a large number of police personnel and dozens of patrol cars deployed at the scene. Police officers also prohibited residents from taking photos and videos at the incident site, asking those who had already taken pictures to delete them, while directing people away from the building. This prompted public questions about whether the incident was deliberate or purely an accident, especially given that Chinese authorities impose strict restrictions on its airspace, particularly in the urban area of Beijing, for public security reasons.