Recently, two drones collided at the top wind tunnel of over 400 meters at the Shanghai World Financial Center, causing them to crash, with the waterproof layer of the 96th floor platform being punctured as a result. This marks the 95th registered drone crash incident in the building’s record over the past 9 years.
In the past few days, a short video of the collision between two drones at the top wind tunnel of over 400 meters at the Shanghai World Financial Center has been circulating widely on the internet.
On August 27th, Lu Liangjun, the head of the management and operations department of the Shanghai World Financial Center, told Dongfang Net·Zongxiang News that on the afternoon of August 24th, the building’s property management discovered the two crashed drones on the rooftop platform on the 96th floor. One of the drones had its propeller shaft inserted into the roof’s waterproof layer, causing a rupture in the ground. The building promptly reported the incident to the authorities, and the drones are now being handled by the police.
The Shanghai World Financial Center is one of the iconic landmarks in Shanghai’s Lujiazui area, known as the “three-piece suit,” and due to its unique “wind tunnel” design at the top, it has long been a hotspot for illegal drone flights by enthusiasts.
According to statistics from the building’s management, from November 2016 until now, there have been 95 drone crash incidents within the building’s vicinity, with seventy percent of them occurring in the past three years: 35 incidents in 2023, 19 incidents in 2024, and 17 incidents in the first 8 months of this year.
Lu Liangjun stated that while these incidents have not caused any casualties on the ground, they have resulted in significant property damage to the building. Each incident has been reported and documented, and the involved pilots have been successively punished. However, the deterrent effect of holding them accountable afterwards has been limited.
Currently, the Lujiazui area in Shanghai is not restricted airspace for drone flights, but according to Shanghai regulations, drones are not allowed to fly above 120 meters. On August 28th, it was learned from relevant authorities by The Paper that the incident occurred on the evening of August 23rd, as the two drones were flying at an altitude exceeding 120 meters, leading to administrative penalties being imposed on the pilots involved.