Rare light aircraft crash in Beijing kills pilot, injures 13 people

Beijing hasn't seen a city crash like this in years, and the timing raises eyebrows

The damaged exterior of CITIC Tower, also known as China Zun, in Beijing, China Jun 26, 2026. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

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 5:55pm on Jun 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 facade 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.

Reuters reported on Friday the crash into the 528-metre-high building, known as CITIC Tower or China Zun, in Beijing's Central Business District.

It is about 6km from the Forbidden City 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 incident follows Beijing's ban since May on buying, renting or flying drones without authorization, due to public security concerns.

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.