A small aircraft hit Beijing's tallest skyscraper, CITIC Tower, on Friday, in a shocking incident, prompting confusion and questions.
According to Chinese authorities, the pilot was killed and 13 people sustained injuries after the plane crashed into the building. No cause of the incident was revealed.
On June 26, a light sport aircraft struck the CITIC Tower, triggering evacuations, as scattered debris could be seen across the capital's central business district.
Damages to the aircraft after CITIC Tower crash
Footage from the scene showed debris falling from the 109-storey tower, as well as a tail section of the plane and a broken window of a taxicab on the ground.
The aircraft crashed into the 65th floor, leading to extensive damage to the plane, as it made a hole in the side of the skyscraper.
Authorities in the capital's Chaoyang District said in a statement shared on WeChat that "a single-engine, two-seat light aircraft crashed into a high-rise building" at 5.55pm local time.
"The only person on board was the pilot, who died, and 13 people were injured at the scene," the officials said in the first statement since the incident.
Ban on drones in Beijing
It was not revealed what caused the crash in Beijingwhere drones are banned from flying across the majority of the area under new rules.
Residents are not allowed to buy, rent or fly drones without government approval within the capital, which raised questions about how the plane was able to take the flight of around 20 minutes from Beijing Shifosi Airport towards the city centre without anyone noticing or taking any action.
About the aircraft
According to the social media posts, the aircraft involved in the incident was a single-engine Sunward Sa-60L Aurora with registration B-12PP was flown by a lone pilot.
The aircraft was seemingly owned by a local general aviation company which offers services including pilot training, personal recreational flights and aerial photography.
The plane is designed to comply with the strict US light-sport aircraft rules, and has a low-wing, two-seat configuration with an enclosed cockpit in a bubble canopy.
Moreover, the CAAC (Civil Aviation Administration of China) granted the design approval of the plane in 2013.
Speculation about the pilot involve in Beijing's crash
As reported by the Financial Times, police searched a car at the airfield where the aircraft is believed to have taken off.
The owner of the Black Enclave CXL has been identified as Liu Junhua, according to a number plate search.
The name has been circulating on social media in connection with the crash, as details about the incident have not been revealed by official channels, with claims that Chinese sites are censoring the details of the crash.
While it could not be confirmed whether the vehicle or its owner was linked to the crash at CITIC Tower, which is the headquarters of one of China's biggest state-owned financial conglomerates, the internet showed a person with the same name in a managerial position at a subsidiary of China CITIC Bank.
Discussion of the incident has been heavily censored on the internet in China, where image searches for CITIC Tower showed old pictures from before the crash.
According to an X post made by the account Wolverine Update, online discussion claimed that Liu is a senior executive at CITIC Bank, highlighting a possible motive.
However, some users have suggested the pilot may have intended only a low-altitude flyby near Beijing's central business district before losing control of the aircraft. No evidence has been presented to support these theories.
