Small Plane Crashes into Beijing Skyscraper, but China Remains Silent

It has been four days since a small plane crashed into Beijing’s tallest skyscraper, killing the pilot—the sole occupant—and injuring 13 others. Yet it remains unclear why and how the incident occurred. A 60-word report containing basic facts in the state-run Beijing Daily is the only official statement China has released so far regarding the crash, which happened just a few kilometres from Zhongnanhai, the headquarters of the Communist Party. The collision on Friday created a hole in the side of the 109-storey CITIC Tower, which has since been boarded up. Dramatic footage of the incident has been scrubbed from the internet. At least three aviation companies told the BBC they had been notified to suspend light aircraft operations but declined to elaborate, saying they had been ordered not to discuss the matter. Amid the information vacuum, speculation is mounting over how the aircraft could have penetrated a city with some of the world’s strictest airspace controls. Photos and memes of the skyscraper, even those unrelated to Friday’s incident, have also been removed from Chinese social media platforms. The aircraft was a single-engine, two-seat Aurora SA60L manufactured by Chinese firm Sunward Aircraft, according to flight tracking service Flightradar24. Beijing enforces a permanent no-fly zone of around 100 square kilometres over the core government district encompassing Tiananmen Square and Zhongnanhai. Analysts described the crash as a major security breach, noting that a few seconds’ difference in flight time could have resulted in a strike on Zhongnanhai, shaking the capital’s security apparatus. Authorities recently tightened drone regulations, yet the fact that a light aircraft far larger than most drones could traverse the city and approach the leadership compound represents a politically embarrassing security failure.