Plane crashes on crowded California beach and injures 12-year-old boy but pilot miraculously escapes unscathed

  • The FAA says the single-engine Piper PA18 lost engine power and hit the beach in Carlsbad shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday
  • The aircraft, which had been towing a banner, flipped over after landing
  • California State Parks Lt. Justin McHenry says the 23-year-old pilot was not injured
  • However, he said a 12-year-old boy who was on the ground sustained a gash to his head

A small plane crashed into crowded beach in Southern California, sending a 12-year-old boy to the hospital with minor injuries, according to authorities.

The single-engine Piper PA18 lost engine power and hit the beach in Carlsbad shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said. 

The aircraft, which had been towing a banner, flipped over after landing.

The crash was caught on camera by Twitter user Cory Vaughn

The plane could be seen in the clip moving down toward the beach - with onlookers' screams audible as they run on the sand. 

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Scary: The plane could be seen in the clip moving down toward the beach - with onlookers' screams audible.
Scary: The plane could be seen in the clip moving down toward the beach - with onlookers' screams audible

Scary: The plane could be seen in the clip moving down toward the beach - with onlookers' screams audible

Crash: The single-engine Piper PA18 lost engine power and hit the beach in Carlsbad shortly after 3 p.m. in July

The single-engine Piper PA18 lost engine power and hit the beach in Carlsbad shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said

Aftermath: Two people were injured after a small plane crashed on a crowded beach in Southern California on the 4th of July

Two people were injured after a small plane crashed on a crowded beach in Southern California on the 4th of July

Rescue: A team works together to stage the rescue of the two people who were hurt

The pilot is 23 and the other person injured is 12, it has been reported

Incident: The aircraft, which had been towing a banner, flipped over after landing on the packed beach

Incident: The aircraft, which had been towing a banner, flipped over after landin

California State Parks Lt. Justin McHenry says the 23-year-old pilot was not injured, but the youngster who was on the ground sustained a gash to his head. 

He was taken to a hospital in San Diego.  

The beach was packed for the Fourth of July.

Company Air Ads Inc. owns the plane, NBC San Diego reported. 

A witness told KGTV-TV beachgoers took off running when they saw the plane go down. 

A witness named Dean Nesbitt told KUSI 'He was just coasting, slow as possible, my estimation is 20-25 mph.

'He must have lost all power, he was in total control.

'Didn't look like he was panicking.

'Thank God it could have been a lot worse.

'It was almost silent being that the engine wasn't on and when he came in, hit the sand, it seemed like the right wing was down low and the wave was coming in and caught it all at once and kind of flipped it over.

'Nothing real violent.'

Hospital: Matthew Pinell, a supervising dispatcher with the Carlsbad Police Department, said the pilot was taken to the hospital with  injuries

Matthew Pinell, a supervising dispatcher with the Carlsbad Police Department, said the pilot was taken to the hospital with unspecified injuries

Emergency: Police cordoned off an area of the beach where a group of people had gathered after the crash

Pinell said someone who was on the beach was also injured in the crash, but he had no further details

Crash: The overturned plane is pictured here, left, as a rescue gets underway in the distance

Authorities were on hand  Saturday, with onlookers visible in the distance 

Injuries: Authorities said two people were injured after the small plane crashed on a crowded beach in Southern California

Authorities say two people were injured after a small plane crashed on a crowded beach in Southern California