BEIJING (AP) — The pilot who flew a small plane into Beijing’s tallest building wrote in his diary about “ending his life,” Chinese authorities said Thursday.
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Their investigation concluded the cause of the June 26 crash was “personal reasons,” according to a statement posted on social media by Beijing’s Chaoyang district government.
The pilot, a 66-year-old man, died and 13 other people were injured. None of the injuries are life-threatening and one of the injured has been discharged from the hospital, the government statement said.
The crash, which happened in a downtown skyscraper district as people were leaving work around 6 p.m., raised questions about security in the Chinese capital. It left a hole in the glass facade of the 108-story CITIC tower, nicknamed the “Zun” building because it mimics the shape of an ancient wine vessel of that name.
The pilot, identified only by the surname Liu, took off on a solo flight in the two-seat training plane from a general aviation airport in the outskirts of Beijing, the Chaoyang statement said. He deviated from the designated flying area and contact with him was lost, it said.
Liu had no fixed job, was divorced and lived alone, according to the statement. He had insomnia and anxiety and his diary had multiple references to ending his life, it said.
Central Beijing, where China’s leaders live and work, has strict airspace controls including a ban on drones.
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