Secret airport in China revealed after fatal helicopter crash

A fatal helicopter crash in China has revealed a secret airport built illegally by a rich businessman.

The airport was uncovered after the businessman, known only as Li, crashed his helicopter into a reservoir in the eastern province of Anhui, killing his 25-year-old passenger.

Li himself managed to swim to safety, and the crash led to reporters discovering the hidden airport nearby.

According to Sky News, the airport measured 20,000 square metres and was protected by barbed wire fencing. Inside, there were three helipads, a 400-metre runway, a swimming pool, and log cabins.

Li, the chief manager of a construction machinery company, paid one million yuan for his chopper. Private ownership in China is low compared with other large economies, with just a few hundred said to be registered. But reports of 'black flights', in which the wealthy elite pay to commute to work in a chopper, are growing.

The Jamaica Observer reports that the military controls airspace and is reluctant to permit private flights. But the Government plans to "open" low-altitude airspace of under 1,000 metres (3,300 feet) nationwide this year, but have not given a specific date.

Li's punishment has not yet been decided, but according to the Times of India, the airport was declared illegal and will be demolished "within a week".