In late June 2026, a small aircraft intruded into the core area of Beijing and collided with “China Zun” (the tallest building in Beijing). The takeoff base of the aircraft involved in the accident – Beijing Shifo Temple Airport, was found to have its registration canceled by the Civil Aviation Administration of China.
Aviation blogger “Tu Tu Lao Shi” posted yesterday (September 1st) on X platform that Beijing Shifo Temple Airport had its registration canceled by the Civil Aviation Administration of China on August 31st.
Shifo Temple Airport served as the base of the small aircraft involved in the collision with “China Zun” in June.
On June 26th, a small plane collided with the CITIC Tower in Beijing’s central business district (also known as China Zun), and official information about the incident was restricted.
On June 27th, the Beijing Chaoyang district authorities issued a report stating that the incident resulted in the death of one pilot on board and 13 injuries at the scene. On July 2nd, the Beijing Chaoyang authorities reported again that the aircraft involved was an Alora SA60L single-engine, two-seat propeller light aircraft, registered as B-12PP. The pilot involved was Liu, a 66-year-old Beijing resident and freelancer holding a sport pilot license and private pilot license. This person, due to long-term insomnia, anxiety, and other issues, had expressed a desire to “end life” multiple times in their diary.
Officials pointed out that this was a case of endangering public safety due to personal reasons, but in both reports, the location of the incident as the CITIC Tower was not mentioned, nor was the unit to which the plane belonged, or the name of the airport from which it took off.
On July 20th, the Civil Aviation Administration of China’s North China Regional Administration issued a notice announcing a temporary suspension of production and business operations for “Dongshi Shuangyue (Beijing) General Aviation” and another general aviation company in Beijing, “Dongshi Kunpeng (Beijing) General Aviation.”
Previously, there were online rumors that the small aircraft involved belonged to the flying school “Dongshi Shuangyue,” with its parent company, Dongfang Fashion, taking over the operation of Shifo Temple Airport in 2021.
Located in Mafang Town, Pinggu District, Beijing, Shifo Temple Airport is an important base for the general aviation industry in Beijing, approved for reconstruction by the Beijing Military Region Air Force in 2014, and obtained a Class B airport operating license from the Civil Aviation Administration of China in 2019. In 2020, Pinggu District proposed the construction of a “drone town.”
Industry experts state that the cancellation of the airport’s registration indicates the loss of legitimate general aviation operating qualifications. It is highly likely that it can only be downgraded for use, becoming a closed unmanned drone ground test site or completely changing its purpose.
Commenting on the post by “Tu Tu Lao Shi,” netizens remarked, “It’s the small airport where the small plane hit China Zun, this low-altitude farce has also come to a sorry end.” “When it comes to solving problems with people and events, in this aspect, China has always been leading from afar.”
The incident of a small plane colliding with Beijing’s tallest building is referred to by the public as the “Chinese version of 9/11,” with lingering questions such as why the no-fly zone in Beijing was breached and the true intentions behind the deliberate collision by the pilot.