Boy Hit by Plane Released From Hospital

Nicholas Baer was injured when a small plane made an emergency landing on a Carlsbad beach Saturday

The 12-year-old boy hit by a small plane on a Carlsbad beach has been released from the hospital after undergoing brain surgery.

“Welcome home” banners and balloons met Nicholas Baer as he came back to his Carlsbad house Thursday.

The boy found himself in a dangerous position on the 4th of July as he walked away from the ocean following a bodyboarding session.

A single-engine plane pulling a banner lost engine power and came in for an emergency landing on the beach, right behind Nicholas.

His friends, who saw what was about to happen, were too late in warning him. His mother, Janice, said they believe the plane’s propeller struck the back of the boy’s head before the aircraft flipped onto its roof.

"Nicholas was pretty much at the end of that plane's journey," Janice said Monday. "Somehow he was in that area at the time, so I think he's a miracle dude."

He was rushed to Rady Children’s Hospital with a concussion, and doctors quickly determined he would need emergency brain surgery.

By Monday, doctors said Nicholas would make a full recovery, though he was disappointed his head had to be shaved. Many of his friends and fellow classmates cut off their hair in support.

FAA officials say the plane lost power before the crash. It's registered to Air Ads Inc., based out of Gillespie Field in El Cajon.

The owner of the plane told NBC7 the pilot had 700 hours of training and the plane had just been serviced and checked out OK. The pilot was uninjured.

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