With such a crowded beach, the correct choice was to fly nowhere near it or high enough to land clear away from the beach - where he seems to have chosen to fly was definitely the wrong choice.
I know we should always keep in mind a possibility of failure, but where do we draw a line? Safest bet is to not fly at all.
I was taught to look for 3 things in forced landing:
- people on the ground
- people in your aricraft
- aircraft.
That pilot did just that.