According To The Interview By The Fire Rescue Captain, Terry Seelig, Fuddy’s Body Remained In The Fuselage, While Eye Witnesses Holstein,...

By    Brianne Randle

• Updated: Thursday, December 12, 2013, 9:08 AM HST
• Published: Wednesday, December 11, 2013, 4:32 PM HST

• Loretta Fuddy committed to service
• Makani Kai Air: Plane had engine failure

A top Hawaii official is dead following a plane crash off Molokai.

Officials say state Health Director Loretta Fuddy died at the scene.

KHON2 has footage inside a Makani Kai Air Cessna, during a prior trip from Kalaupapa to Honolulu.

On Wednesday, one crashed in waters a half mile off of the north shore of Molokai. Maui Fire Department and the U.S. Coast Guard quickly got to the scene.

“They rescued eight people, who got out of the plane. Difficult conditions as it was off shore in the water, a couple hours before dark. Rapid response from Kahului with [a] rescue helicopter the Shoreside Company was on the cliff side spotting and relaying info,” said Capt. Terry Seelig, Honolulu Fire Department.

One of the passengers even swam to shore to try to get help. But not everyone got out alive. One person died in the tragic crash.

“That person remained in the fuselage of the plane. Not much details. Always a difficult situation when you can’t get everyone out, and unfortunately that was the case here,” Capt. Seelig said.

The Cessna Grand Caravan departed Kalaupapa at about 3:35 p.m. Wednesday. Makani Kai Air says the pilot made no radio calls that he was in trouble before the crash.

Another pilot in the air spotted the wreckage and survivors wearing life vests. They called it in to the Molokai Airport tower.

“Kalaupapa is a unique area and radio communications cell phone coverage. So we have no information if any calls were made out of there. [There] was an aircraft real close by circling above, so it was able to be on scene and it was reported to Molokai Tower. And that’s how he got our information, basically,” said Makani Kai Air President Richard Schuman.

Nine people were onboard when the plane took off. One person was pronounced dead, three were flown to Honolulu and taken by ambulance to the Queen’s Medical Center. Another three stayed on Molokai and were hospitalized. The rest did not need any medical help.

Makani Kai Air did not want to release the name of its pilot at this time. We do know he has been with the company for a number of years and is a former Aloha Airlines pilot.

Now the FAA wants to talk to him to learn what went wrong.