Pilot error caused a plane to crash on a Carlsbad beach on the Fourth of July injuring a boy, according to a government report released Wednesday.
Nicholas Baer, 12, was struck when the single engine plane crashed at Carlsbad State Beach on the Fourth of July.
An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board found that pilot Luke Kanagy didn't properly manage his fuel, and that the lack of fuel caused the engine to fail, bringing the plane down on the crowded beach.
Kanagy was towing an advertising banner over the beach when the plane went down.
The pilot wasn't injured but Baer suffered a concussion and underwent emergency brain surgery at Rady Children’s Hospital. He was released from the hospital less than a week later.
Baer's family filed a lawsuit against Air Ads, Inc., its owner James Oakley and pilot Luke William Kanagy.
