Beijing light plane crash into CITIC Tower injures 13 people

A two-seat light aircraft struck Beijing’s CITIC Tower in the Chaoyang district business area near the East Third Ring Road, killing the pilot and injuring 13 people on the ground. Beijing authorities identified the dead pilot only by the surname Liu, a 66-year-old Beijing native. One injured person had been discharged from hospital by the time officials issued their statement.

The tower, also known as China Zun, is Beijing’s tallest building. Its location in one of the capital’s busiest commercial districts placed the crash in plain view of a dense office and traffic corridor, turning a single aircraft loss into a public safety event with people hurt well below the flight path.

Officials said Liu was divorced, lived alone in Beijing and worked as a freelancer. They said he had long suffered from insomnia and anxiety, and that his diary contained multiple references to “ending his life.” Authorities also said Liu obtained a sport pilot license in 2021 and a private pilot license in 2024.

The flight began at a general aviation airport in suburban Pinggu district, where Liu conducted supervised and solo flights before the crash. Beijing authorities said he later deviated from the designated area and lost contact with the airport before the plane came down. The sequence has sharpened attention on how closely small-aircraft activity is monitored around the capital, where civilian aviation is tightly restricted.

Officials described the episode as an “incident endangering public safety caused by personal reasons.” The crash into a skyscraper of CITIC Tower’s scale was unusual even by the standards of aviation accidents, and it has raised immediate questions about whether flight oversight, mental-health safeguards and building-security planning are calibrated for the risks posed by light aircraft operating near Beijing’s core.