On December 11, 2013, about 1522 Hawaiian standard time, a Cessna 208B, N687MA, operated by Makani Kai Air ditched into the ocean near Kalaupapa, Hawaii. The flight departed from the Kalaupapa Airport on the island of Molokai bound for the Honolulu International Airport on the island of Oahu. There were eight passengers aboard. Loretta Fuddy was the only fatality in a very survivable crash.
THE CRASH
The pilot reported that shortly after takeoff from runway 05, at an altitude of about 400 feet above ground level (AGL), he began a left turn for a downwind departure. Shortly after passing 500 feet AGL, the pilot motioned toward the power lever to reduce power for the climb when he heard a loud “bang” followed by an immediate loss of engine power. Realizing the airplane was not going to make it to land, he rolled the wings level while broadcasting a mayday distress call. Shortly after, the airplane landed on an open, calm ocean.
THE INVESTIGATION
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident as follows:
The loss of engine power due to the fracture of multiple blades on the compressor turbine wheel, which resulted in a ditching. The reason for the blade failures could not be determined due to secondary thermal damage to the blades.
The pilot reported that he hit his head on the instrument panel during the water impact, and was “bleeding badly” as a result. He unstrapped his harness, yelled at the passengers to get out, and started to grab seat cushions to use as floatation devices. Looking for a life vest, saw one, and gave it to a passenger who said his wife did not have one. The pilot left the aircraft without a life vest, as the airplane was filling with water. After checking to see that the cabin was empty, he exited through the door at the rear of the cabin. The pilot told the passengers to swim away from the airplane because the airplane might sink rapidly and drag them down. The current and waves, which he estimated to be 6 to 8 feet high, gradually separated the group.
The one fatality was Loretta Jean Fuddy, (65).
Her autopsy was conducted by Pan Pacific Pathologists, LLC, of Wailuku, Hawaii, under the authority of the Maui Police Department. The findings listed in the autopsy report included “acute cardiac arrhythmia” and “no significant traumatic injuries.” The report noted that she was observed by another passenger “to be fearful and hyperventilating shortly before losing consciousness.” According to the autopsy report, her cause of death was “acute cardiac arrhythmia due to hyperventilation.”
NOW IT GETS WEIRD
I’m going to let you google the weirder aspects of the crash and death of Loretta Fuddy.
THINGS YOU MIGHT LOOK FOR
- Fuddy wore a defective life vest.
- She was wearing a child’s life vest.
- Rescue divers were on scene in less than 20 minutes.
- Her body was found 80 minutes after the crash.
- It was the rescue divers that drowned her.
- Rescue divers injected her with a heart stopping drug.
- The pilot’s name is blatantly missing from the NTSB report.
Do you see what I mean? Enjoy and leave your favorite conspiracy theory in the comments below.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Loretta Fuddy was the head of the Hawaii Department of Health who issued Obama’s birth certificate.
