Authorities in Beijing have attributed a late June plane crash involving the city’s tallest skyscraper to the pilot’s mental health struggles, according to an official statement released this week by the Chaoyang district government.

The pilot, identified only by the surname Liu, was 66 years old and reportedly suffered from chronic insomnia and anxiety. Investigators found personal diary entries indicating he had contemplated ending his own life. Mr. Liu died at the scene when his small aircraft collided with the China Zun tower on June 26, while 13 people sustained injuries—none considered life-threatening.

The aircraft, a two-seater single-engine Aurora SA60L registered as B-12PP, is primarily used for training purposes. On the day of the crash, Mr. Liu had departed from a small airport in Pinggu District, located in Beijing’s northeastern suburbs. Flight records showed him initially performing routine loops around the airport before diverging westward and heading toward central Beijing.

Chaoyang authorities described the incident as "endangering public safety caused by personal reasons," noting that Mr. Liu lost contact with the airport and deviated from the authorized flight zone before the crash. The plane struck China Zun, a 109-story skyscraper situated under 10 kilometers from Tiananmen Square and the government compound of Zhongnanhai. Reports and images circulating outside of China’s internet censorship showed the aircraft lodged in the tower’s side, damaging two large glass panels and scattering debris onto the street below.

While China tightly regulates the airspace over its capital and recently imposed new restrictions on consumer drone flights, officials have not publicly explained how the small plane bypassed detection and alert systems.

The incident comes amid a broader pattern of rare but high-profile violent events in China, including previous cases of individuals using vehicles or knives to attack crowds, sometimes targeting schools. Although details about such incidents are often limited due to strict censorship, these acts are sometimes framed domestically as expressions of “revenge on society,” potentially linked to mounting economic and social pressures.

In response to a series of mass casualty events in late 2024, Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized the need for enhanced preventative measures and risk control at local levels, urging authorities to learn from these episodes to better manage public safety risks.