Pilot who hit Beijing tower wrote about ending life
· CNA · JoinRead a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
Warning: This story contains references to suicide
BEIJING: The pilot who died after crashing a small plane into Beijing's tallest skyscraper, injuring 13 people, had mental health issues and had written about suicide in his diary, authorities said on Thursday (Jul 2).
The 66-year-old man flew a light aircraft into the 528m CITIC Tower in Beijing's Central Business District on Jun 26 at 5.55 pm.
The plane crash raised questions about aviation safety in tightly secured Beijing, with the CITIC skyscraper around 7km away from Zhongnanhai, the government compound which houses top Chinese leaders.
Subscribe to our Chief Editor’s Week in Review
Our chief editor shares analysis and picks of the week's biggest news every Saturday.
This service is not intended for persons residing in the E.U. By clicking subscribe, I agree to receive news updates and promotional material from Mediacorp and Mediacorp’s partners.
Loading
AFP journalists at the scene had seen a hole in the windows of one of the building's upper floors, with witnesses reporting plane debris and a small fire at the foot of the tower.
The pilot - surnamed Liu - was divorced, lived alone in Beijing and "had long suffered from insomnia and anxiety, and his diary contained multiple references to 'ending his life'", the capital's Chaoyang district government said in a statement.
"This was an incident endangering public safety caused by personal reasons," it added.
Liu worked as a freelancer and had obtained a sport pilot license in 2021 and a private pilot license in 2024, according to the statement.
On the afternoon of the incident, Liu took off from a general aviation airport in suburban Pinggu district and conducted both supervised and solo flights, the statement said.
During his last solo flight, Liu "deviated from the designated area and lost contact with the airport" before the crash, it added.
He was flying a two-seat propeller-driven light aircraft.
Chinese social media was rapidly scrubbed of photos and videos of the plane crash shortly after it took place, while police at the scene stopped journalists and onlookers from taking pictures of the building.
Newsletter
Week in Review
Subscribe to our Chief Editor’s Week in Review
Our chief editor shares analysis and picks of the week's biggest news every Saturday.
Newsletter
Morning Brief
Subscribe to CNA’s Morning Brief
An automated curation of our top stories to start your day.
Sign up for our newsletters
Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app