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Small car-sized aircraft crashes into Beijing's tallest CITIC Tower on Friday

A small car-sized aircraft crashed into Beijing's tallest building, CITIC Tower, on Friday, June 26, 2026, according to eyewitnesses and police reports. The plane, identified as a Sunward SA60L Aurora with registration B-12PP, left visible damage on the 108-floor skyscraper before falling to the ground.

This incident raises concerns about general aviation safety in densely populated urban areas and may trigger new regulatory reviews for local flight operations.

  • Beijing's CITIC Tower held the title of China's tallest building until 2023 when it was surpassed by the 470-meter Goldin Finance 117 in Tianjin.
  • The Sunward SA60L Aurora was first introduced in 2010 and has been used extensively by Chinese flight schools for pilot training programs.
  • General aviation accidents in major Chinese cities are rare, with the last notable incident occurring in a 2018 mid-air collision near Hangzhou.
Small car-sized aircraft crashes into Beijing's tallest CITIC Tower on Friday | Implica