On December 12, 2013, the health director who approved the release of President Obama’s birth certificate was killed in a plane crash in Hawaii.
Now, footage from the Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft Loretta Fuddy was traveling on has been released, showing the moment of impact and the subsequent flooding of the cabin.
The footage, obtained by ABC News, was taken by a passenger on the plane, who started filming out the window of the flight just moments before it made an emergency water landing. Fortunately, the other eight people on board were rescued.
But Fuddy, who hit the headlines two years ago when she approved a waiver request allowing Obama to access certified copies of his birth certificate, did not make it. She made her way out of the downed aircraft, but died shortly after.
In the water, Fuddy held hands with her deputy director Keith Yamamoto as he tried to help her relax, said the Rev. Patrick Killilea, who consoled Yamamoto after the ordeal.
“He recounted how he said he helped Loretta into her life jacket and he held her hand for some time,” the priest said. “They were all floating together and she let go and there was no response from her.”
Back in December, Hawaiian senator J. Kalani English led the tributes to the 65-year-old, saying she “will be dearly missed” by people on the islands.
“I would like to extend my most heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the Department of Health Director Loretta Fuddy, who tragically passed away in a plane crash late Wednesday afternoon,” he said. “Loretta was a true public servant and friend of the people….. She will be dearly missed.”
The cause of the crash is still unclear.
C. Phillip Hollstein recalled that the plane had just taken off from Molokai and was making a turn toward Honolulu when it seemed like something on the plane broke.
“We probably weren’t a minute out. It wasn’t real loud or anything. Just a muffled bang. Then we were a glider.”
The plane lost power, he said, and the pilot maneuvered a water landing on the plane’s belly.
Watch the insane video of the plane crash above.
SOURCE: NBC, Daily Mail | VIDEO SOURCE: News, Inc.
