A small aircraft crashed into Beijing's CITIC Tower, the city's tallest building, on Friday, killing the sole occupant and injuring 13 others. The jet, identified as a B-12PP, struck the 109-storey skyscraper, leaving holes that have since been boarded up. However, Chinese authorities have not disclosed the cause of the crash and have reportedly restricted access to footage of the incident within the country.
Official silence and censorship
The only official statement is a 60-word report in Beijing Daily detailing basic facts. Videos of the crash have been removed from China's internet, and unrelated images of the skyscraper have been taken down from Chinese social media platforms, according to the BBC. Aviation firms have been instructed to suspend light aircraft operations, with a source telling the BBC: 'We were told not to speak about it.' National media outlets including Xinhua and China Central Television have not reported on the incident, Reuters noted.
Flight path deviation
The plane deviated from its intended flight path after taking off from Shifosi Airport 30 minutes earlier, according to Global.hk. It was scheduled to turn around and return to the airport at 5:45 pm, but flight monitoring lost the tracking signal near Beijing's East Fifth Ring Road. The aircraft became unreachable and crashed into the skyscraper moments later. The crash occurred within a no-fly zone just a few kilometres from Zhongnanhai, the Communist Party's heavily guarded headquarters.
Security breach concerns
China analyst Bill Bishop wrote on X that the crash was a 'massive security breach'. He stated: 'Not many more seconds of flying and [the crash] could have been at Zhongnanhai… [That would have been] an earthquake in Beijing's security system.' Beijing district authorities have announced an investigation is underway but have not named the pilot who died.
