A 12-year-old boy was hospitalized with minor injuries he suffered Saturday when a single-engine plane crashed on the crowded Carlsbad State Beach, authorities said.
The crash happened just after 3 p.m. on Carlsbad Boulevard, near the Encina Power Plant, when the plane's engine failed as it flew over the water and lost the banner it was towing, Lt. Justin McHenry of California State Parks said.
The aircraft flipped over in shallow water after landing. McHenry said the 23-year-old pilot was uninjured, but the youngster who was on the ground sustained a gash to his head. He was taken to Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego.
The beach was packed for the Fourth of July when the crash happened.
A witness told 10News that beachgoers took off running when they saw the plane go down.
The Federal Aviation Administration told San Diego's NBC7 the Piper PA18 is owned by an El Cajon company named Air Ads Inc.
