China says pilot crashed small plane into skyscraper for ‘personal reasons’

The pilot who crashed his small plane into Beijing’s tallest skyscraper last week was suffering from from “chronic insomnia and anxiety” and did so for “personal reasons”, authorities said Thursday.

The crash had killed the pilot, officially identified only by his surname Liu, and wounded 13 others.

Liu, a 66-year-old Beijing resident, was a divorced freelancer who lived alone, the Chaoyang district said in a statement, adding Liu’s diary contained “multiple expressions of ending his life”.

“The comprehensive investigation concluded that this was a case of endangering public safety caused by personal reasons,” the statement said.

One of the injured has been discharged from the hospital, officials said.

Videos of the crash at the CITIC Tower had been widely circulated on social media before being scrubbed off the Chinese internet, as authorities investigated what many observers viewed as a huge security breach.