China suspends aviation firm linked to Beijing light aircraft crash

BEIJING - China’s civil aviation authority on July 20 ordered an operator linked to a light aircraft which crashed into Beijing’s tallest building in June to suspend operations, ground all aircraft and eliminate “major safety hazards”.The rare crash in Beijing’s busy central business district during the evening rush hour killed the pilot of the small single-engine, two-seat light sport aircraft.Another 13 people who were not on board were injured, local government has said.The pilot had suffered from insomnia and anxiety ​and his diary repeatedly mentioned ending his life, local government said earlier in July.Questions remain over how the plane penetrated the tightly restricted air space.Aviation authorities have been “unable to confirm the companies’ flight personnel qualifications and the airworthiness status of the aircraft meet the flight safety requirements for the operating license items applied for, and major safety hazards exist,” said the North China Regional Administration of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).Its notice named Dongshi Shuangyue General Aviation, as well as another company called Dongshi Kunpeng General Aviation. It was not immediately clear if Dongshi Kunpeng, which is also based in Beijing’s outskirts, had any links to the crash.Reuters could not immediately reach Dongshi Shuangyue or Dongshi Kunpeng for comment outside normal business hours.The plane involved in June’s crash, which carried registration number B-12PP, was shown as being owned and operated by Beijing-based Dongshi Shuangyue in a promotional video published by the company on Chinese social media in 2024.The Financial Times, citing a ​person with knowledge of the incident, reported in June that the aircraft belonged to Dongshi Shuangyue, which offered low-altitude sightseeing flights, hands-on flight experience programmes and aviation training in the suburban Pinggu district, ​about 50km from downtown Beijing.“Effective immediately, the companies are hereby ordered to promptly eliminate the hidden hazards, temporarily suspend production and business operations, and cease the use of aircraft,” said the notice, which did not mention the crash.It cited the companies’ prolonged suspension of flight activities as the reason for ordering them to suspend operations. Both were included in CAAC’s registry of licensed general aviation operators in May, an official document shows. REUTERS