On June 26, 2026, a Sunward SA 60L Aurora light sport aircraft crashed into Beijing's tallest building, the 528-meter CITIC Tower. The pilot was killed and 13 people on the ground were injured. The incident has raised serious security concerns because the aircraft managed to penetrate Beijing's heavily fortified and restricted airspace. Chinese authorities quickly deployed internet censors to scrub footage and news reports of the crash from domestic social media platforms.
Beijing CITIC Tower plane crash
- ▪Flightradar24 data showed the aircraft took off from an airfield in Pinggu at 5:31 p.m. on June 26, 2026, and flew west into the Beijing city center, deviating from its typical flight path
- ▪A single-engine, two-seat Sunward SA 60L Aurora light sport aircraft crashed into the CITIC Tower in Beijing at 5:55 p.m. on June 26, 2026
- ▪The aircraft that crashed into the CITIC Tower was operated by Shuangyue General Aviation, a regional flight training provider based in Beijing's eastern Pinggu District
Pilot death, 13 injured
- ▪Thirteen people on the ground or in the vicinity of the CITIC Tower were injured in the crash and received medical treatment
- ▪The pilot of the aircraft was the sole occupant on board and was killed in the crash
Building facade damage
- ▪The crash caused damage to the glass facade of the CITIC Tower, leaving a hole where two large glass panels were lost
- ▪By June 27, 2026, the damaged section of the CITIC Tower's facade had been temporarily boarded up
Crash investigation underway
- ▪It remains unconfirmed by authorities whether the aircraft crash into the CITIC Tower was accidental or deliberate
- ▪The Chaoyang District government announced that an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the crash
Beijing airspace restrictions
- ▪Beijing enforces strict airspace controls, including a regulation enacted in May 2026 that effectively bans unauthorized drone flights and casual recreational flying
- ▪Flying any light aircraft in Beijing requires explicit, prior approval from both the Civil Aviation Administration of China and the People's Liberation Army Air Force
Chinese government censorship
- ▪A report regarding the crash casualties published by the Chinese financial news platform Caixin became inaccessible on June 27, 2026
- ▪Chinese authorities and internet censors quickly scrubbed videos, images, and social media posts about the crash from domestic platforms such as Weibo and Xiaohongshu
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