Pilot killed in crash with Beijing’s tallest building

A light aircraft crash into Beijing’s tallest building on Friday killed the pilot and injured 13 people who were not on board, the local government said following the unusual accident for the Chinese capital, where airspace is heavily restricted.

Those injured are receiving medical treatment and authorities are investigating the incident, Chaoyang district government said in a statement on Saturday.

“A single-engine, two-seat light sport aircraft collided with a high-rise building while flying near the East third ring road in Chaoyang, at 5:55 p.m. (0955 GMT) on June 26,” said the statement, which was posted on social media.

“There was only one person on board, the pilot, who died,” the statement added, without giving any further details of the possible cause of the crash.

Damage to the exterior of the skyscraper appeared to be limited to a hole caused by the loss of two large glass panels. The gap had been temporarily boarded up as of Saturday.

The 528-metre-high building, known as CITIC Tower or China Zun, is in Beijing’s Central Business District, about 6 km (3.7 miles) from the Forbidden City, which is visited by thousands of tourists each day.

It is also near Zhongnanhai, a compound that houses the offices of China’s top political leadership.

The last aircraft crash in Beijing was in 2022, when a tourist helicopter crashed during a flight between the Changping and Fangshan districts, killing the two pilots on board.

Pictures posted on social media in China in the aftermath of Friday’s crash showed debris from the plane and the identifier B-12PP. Reuters could not immediately verify the images.