Anna Hartz
Plane crash raises questions over Beijing’s strict airspace controls
Air accidents in large cities are extremely rare because strict flight rules are designed to keep aircraft away from densely populated areas. That is why an incident involving a plane and one of Beijing’s tallest buildings quickly drew attention and led to a major emergency response.
Struck the Citic Tower
A small aircraft crashed into Beijing’s tallest skyscraper on Friday afternoon, forcing people to evacuate the building, reports DailyMail.
The aircraft struck the China Zun skyscraper, also known as the Citic Tower. The building stands 528 meters tall and has 109 floors. It is one of the tallest buildings in the world and serves as the headquarters of the state-owned Citic Group.
Videos shared on social media appeared to show debris falling from the tower. Images also showed what looked like part of the aircraft’s tail on the ground. A nearby taxi was also seen with a broken window.
Photos from the scene showed two damaged windows high up on the side of the building.
Fire engines, police vehicles and an ambulance quickly arrived at the site. People inside the skyscraper were seen leaving the building as emergency crews responded.
There has been no official information about injuries or deaths. The number of casualties remains unknown.
Pictures of the aircraft’s registration number suggested it was a Sunward SA60L Aurora. The light sport aircraft is believed to belong to a local aviation company.
Louder than fireworks
Flight tracking data shared online appeared to show that the plane had flown far off its expected route before the crash. The information has not been independently confirmed.
Witnesses described hearing a loud impact. One courier told Reuters the noise was louder than fireworks. He said he recorded a video showing the aircraft stuck in the building but later deleted it because he feared problems with the police.
Another courier said he rushed to the scene after seeing pictures of the wreckage online.
Police prevented some people from taking photos and asked others to delete images they had already taken. Officers also directed people away from the area.
Chinese authorities have not yet commented on the crash.
Beijing has some of the strictest airspace controls in the world. Private aircraft and drones are not allowed to fly over the city without special permission. The business district where the crash happened is also close to the Chinese leadership compound, making security rules especially strict.
