Light aircraft hits Beijing's 528-metre CITIC Tower; videos pulled from Chinese platforms
TL;DR
On June 26, a light sport aircraft (registration B-12PP) struck Beijing's tallest building, CITIC Tower (528m). Videos vanished from Weibo, Douyin, WeChat within hours.
On June 26 around 17:40, a Shanhe SA60L Aurora light sport aircraft (reg. B-12PP) struck the CITIC Tower (China Zun) in Beijing's CBD. The first civil aircraft impact on a Chinese skyscraper. Two glass curtain-wall faces shattered, smoke rose from the lower floors, debris scattered around the building, employees were evacuated.
The symbolism is the first jolt. CITIC Tower is 528m, 108 floors, completed late 2018 — Beijing's tallest building and CITIC Group HQ, sitting ~3km from Zhongnanhai, inside the most protected low-altitude airspace in the country. A small training aircraft flew directly into it.
The aircraft belongs to Dongshi Shuangyue (Beijing) General Aviation. It took off from Shifosi airport ~17:30 for a solo training flight in the local zone, and deviated from its return path at 17:40. The SA60L is a Chinese-built two-seat trainer (MTOW 600kg) — no structural risk to a steel-frame tower, but a building full of office workers wasn't designed to handle this.
The second jolt: videos disappeared from Weibo, Douyin, and WeChat within hours. By evening, the impact footage was only available on X and Telegram. As of publication, Beijing Municipal Government, the CAAC North China Bureau, and CITIC Group had all stayed silent — casualties, occupants, cause: unknown.
For China's general aviation push this is a body blow. Since 2024, the State Council has been opening up «low-altitude economy» — GA, drones, eVTOL — and registered GA companies passed 700 in 2025. CITIC Tower drags the regulatory conversation from «how to open up» back to «how to lock down». Tighter low-altitude rules in the next cycle are essentially guaranteed.
via Epoch Times / HK01
The symbolism is the first jolt. CITIC Tower is 528m, 108 floors, completed late 2018 — Beijing's tallest building and CITIC Group HQ, sitting ~3km from Zhongnanhai, inside the most protected low-altitude airspace in the country. A small training aircraft flew directly into it.
The aircraft belongs to Dongshi Shuangyue (Beijing) General Aviation. It took off from Shifosi airport ~17:30 for a solo training flight in the local zone, and deviated from its return path at 17:40. The SA60L is a Chinese-built two-seat trainer (MTOW 600kg) — no structural risk to a steel-frame tower, but a building full of office workers wasn't designed to handle this.
The second jolt: videos disappeared from Weibo, Douyin, and WeChat within hours. By evening, the impact footage was only available on X and Telegram. As of publication, Beijing Municipal Government, the CAAC North China Bureau, and CITIC Group had all stayed silent — casualties, occupants, cause: unknown.
For China's general aviation push this is a body blow. Since 2024, the State Council has been opening up «low-altitude economy» — GA, drones, eVTOL — and registered GA companies passed 700 in 2025. CITIC Tower drags the regulatory conversation from «how to open up» back to «how to lock down». Tighter low-altitude rules in the next cycle are essentially guaranteed.
via Epoch Times / HK01
