international
Pilot who hit Beijing's tallest tower wrote about 'ending his life', officials say
Key takeaways
- Issued on: 02/07/2026 - 14:41Modified: 02/07/2026 - 14:42
- By: FRANCE 24 The CITIC Tower in Beijing pictured after the plane crash, on June 26, 2026.
- The 66-year-old man flew a light aircraft into the 528-metre (1,732-foot) CITIC Tower in Beijing's Central Business District on Friday at 5:55pm (0955 GMT).
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
The pilot who flew a small plane into Beijing's tallest building wrote in his diary about “ending his life”, Chinese authorities said Thursday, aiming to end speculation swirling around an incident that raised concerns about aviation security in China's capital.
Issued on: 02/07/2026 - 14:41Modified: 02/07/2026 - 14:42
By: FRANCE 24 The CITIC Tower in Beijing pictured after the plane crash, on June 26, 2026. © Han Guan Ng, AP The pilot who died after crashing a small plane into Beijing's tallest skyscraper, injuring 13 people, had mental health issues and had written about suicide in his diary, authorities said Thursday.
Article preview — originally published by France 24. Full story at the source.
Read full story on France 24 →
More top stories
Also covered by
Aggregated and edited by the Scoop newsroom. We surface news from France 24 alongside other reporting so you can compare coverage in one place.
Editorial policy · Corrections · About Scoop