Key facts
- Beijing authorities attributed the plane crash into the CITIC Tower to 'personal reasons'.
- The pilot, identified as Liu, suffered from insomnia and anxiety.
- Liu's diary reportedly contained multiple references to ending his life.
- The crash killed the pilot and injured 13 other people.
Chinese authorities announced that the pilot of a small plane that crashed into Beijing's CITIC Tower last week cited 'personal reasons,' including insomnia, anxiety, and a desire to end his life, according to his diary. The pilot, identified only by his surname Liu, was a 66-year-old divorced man with no fixed job who lived alone. The crash killed Liu and wounded 13 others, with one injured person having been discharged from the hospital. The incident occurred around 6 p.m. in a downtown skyscraper district, leaving a hole in the glass facade of the 108-story CITIC tower. Liu had deviated from his planned flight path during a solo flight after initially flying with another person.