Authorities in Beijing identify the person as a 66-year-old resident of the Chinese capital with a private pilot licence
1-MIN READ1-MIN1 ListenSCMP ReporterPublished: 4:25pm, 2 Jul 2026Updated: 4:44pm, 2 Jul 2026The pilot of a small plane that crashed into Beijing’s tallest building last week had long suffered from anxiety and discussed “ending his life” in his diaries, authorities in the Chinese capital said on Thursday.
In a brief summary of an investigation, the Chaoyang district government said the pilot was a 66-year-old Beijing resident, identified only by his surname Liu.
Liu died when the light aircraft he was flying struck Citic Tower in the capital’s central business district on Friday.
The authorities said Liu, a freelance worker who was divorced and lived alone, obtained a sport pilot licence in 2021 and a private pilot licence in 2024.
He took off in an Aurora SA60L, a single-engine, two-seat light sport aircraft from a general aviation airport in the eastern district of Pinggu in the afternoon.
The aircraft had the registration number B-12PP, according to the statement.
