China says pilot crashed small plane into skyscraper for ‘personal reasons’

The pilot who crashed his small plane into Beijing’s tallest skyscraper last week suffered from “chronic insomnia and anxiety” and did so for “personal reasons,” authorities said Thursday.

In the accident, the pilot, officially identified only as his surname Liu, died and 13 people were injured.

In the statement made from the Chaoyang district, it was stated that Liu, a 66-year-old Beijing resident, was a divorced, self-employed person and that Liu’s diary contained “many statements that she had ended her life.”

“A thorough investigation concluded that this was a case that endangered public safety for personal reasons,” the statement said.

Authorities said one of the injured was discharged from the hospital.

Videos of the crash at the CITIC Tower spread widely on social media before being removed from the Chinese internet as authorities investigated what many observers saw as a major security breach.