It remains unclear whether there were any casualties or the number of individuals on board the aircraft, parts of which were scattered throughout Beijing’s central business district.
Details about the plane’s origin and the circumstances surrounding the crash are still unknown.
Officials have yet to issue statements regarding the incident.
Posts concerning the crash were swiftly taken down from Chinese social media platforms.
Videos circulating online depicted the aircraft impacting the upper levels of the 528-meter (1,732-foot) tower, with debris falling onto the nearby pavement and green areas.
Additional footage showed occupants being evacuated from the building, as reported by the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post.
A woman, identified by her surname Lin, relayed to the Post that she was hurriedly evacuated from the building at 6 pm. “I ran out without my ID card or bag,” she mentioned.
A bystander working in a nearby building reported hearing a loud noise around 5:40 pm but did not witness the crash.
Police have cordoned off the roads surrounding the incident site and dispersed the crowd.
A strong police presence is evident around the skyscraper, and several ambulances were spotted parked in the vicinity.
Images online of the wreckage indicated that the aircraft’s registration number was B-12PP. Flightradar24 data identifies the plane as a Sunward SA60L Aurora – a two-seat, single-engine light-sport aircraft manufactured by China’s Starair Aircraft Co.
One social media post asserted that the light sport aircraft was operated by a local company providing private pilot training, aerial tours, and aircraft management.
Calls to the company went unanswered on Friday night.
Also Read: Uber’s outgoing India head Prabhjeet Singh to join OpenAI as Managing Director for India
Flying any light sport aircraft in Beijing necessitates stringent approval from both the Civil Aviation Administration of China and the People’s Liberation Army Air Force.
Last month, Beijing introduced comprehensive regulations on its airspace, effectively prohibiting casual recreational flying and consumer drones. All outdoor flights now require prior approval from the government and air traffic control.
Also Read: India startup funding tops $1 billion as CRED mega-round powers sharp weekly rebound
