Posted on 01/10/2014 1:52:43 PM PST by The Sons of Liberty
A month after a small plane crash in Hawaii, a surviving passenger shows GoPro footage and even a selfie taken during the ordeal.
Would you have done the same? Ferdinand Puentes was one of nine passengers in a 2002 Cessna Grand Caravan which suddenly suffered engine failure off Kalaupapa, Molokai in Hawaii last month. As he heard the engine fail and saw the plane heading for the water, one of his first instincts was to turn on his GoPro camera and film what might have been his own demise. As KHON-TV reports, Puentes knew the danger he was in, yet the decision to film as much as possible might perplex a few. He managed to get out of the plane alive and survived the crash. However, while he was floating on a seat cushion and wearing his life raft, he took a selfie.
Was the impulse to record just a natural reaction? After all, any bystander or news organization would have likely done the same thing. And these days everyone is using their phones to film just about everything they see. But wouldn't one's first instinct be to try to contact family and friends to say goodbye? Perhaps that did happen. The footage reflects a quite stunning lack of panic. The passengers behave in an orderly manner. There is no screaming or pushing. No one seems frantic at all. Loretta Fuddy, Hawaii's 65-year-old state director of health, died in the crash, despite managing to leave the plane. In watching Puentes talk to KHON-TV, though, it's evident that the footage brings back painful memories. Would everyone want to have such ready access to a reminder? Or would some prefer to forget? "You could have died," Puentes told KHON-TV. "There's so much variations that could have happened for the worse."
At http://www.examiner.com/article/incredible-video-watch-as-hawaiian-man-films-his-own-terrifying-plane-crash , posted on January 11th (the day after we discussed the mystery woman) it says:
“What happens in the cabin of a plane when the passengers realize they are about to crash? What are those last few moments like harrowing turmoil or serene calm in the face of terror? The latter would seem to be the case, at least for one Hawaiian man, whose video capturing his plane’s emergency water landing has gone viral.
ABC News released the video on Friday of passenger Ferdinand Puentes crash all filmed with his GoPro camera, including his jump into the ocean with his life vest.
The 2002 Makani Kai Air Cessna held nine passengers, in addition to the pilot. The small jet was making a puddlejump from Molokai, Hawaii, to Honolulu when the engines suddenly failed and the plane went down into the Pacific.
One passenger was killed. The crash took the life of Hawaiian health official Loretta Fuddy, 65, the woman best known for publicly releasing President Obamas birth certificate. Fuddy made it into the water, but died shortly thereafter for yet unknown reasons...”
He’s making the “hang ten” sign. Hawaiian origin AFAIK.
Highly unlikely. I wish I could post the images, but when you zoom in and adjust the brightness and contrast you can see the clear outline of a white shirt below the shoulder so the roundish thing in front is her arm, not a life jacket. And when you darken the image sufficiently you can clearly see a feminine-looking earring.
The caption on the “mummy” just says “In the emergency room”. If that’s in the emergency room and isn’t Puentes (I don’t see any kind of scar or mole on the outside of Puentes’ right eye), then it would have to be the 74-year-old woman who was taken to Honolulu with Puentes, which would also explain why he was able to take the photo.
If that is the 74-year-old woman, the mystery woman can’t be her, or Fuddy, or Rosa Key - so a 10th person on board is confirmed.
Why has everybody official been claiming 9 people on board?
See #267 and #366.
#267 photo of interviewer and couple: photo filename says “couple” and its of lady w striped shirt and guy w red cap.
#366 see the 3 people gathered together, one person has back to camera and head turned to side; they have a striped shirt on and have a ponytail.
Person inflating a vest with watch on also looks like they have a small ponytail also.
Cant tell if person with “large upper arms” is a guy or gal, but it may be the person toward the front in the plane cabin pic.
http://www.tropicalweather.net/picts/honolulu_average_beach_water_temperature.jpg
Water temperature was in the upper 70s.
Still no report on cause of death.
3 hours in that water temperature should not be a problem
“Youre thinking that the mystery woman is Jacob Key?”
Yes. Husband and wife hanging onto the plane together. As one would expect.
And I think you are right that that is Fuddy and her co-worker at the door of the plane.
Cameraman had camera running to document it all (convenient) Didn’t he also have scuba gear with him. Would that include oxygen that he could use if the plane went down and sank quickly?
What can you find out about him!
Yes, you’re right. That’s Fuddy by the door wearing the purple and white jacket.
See post 191 The photographer was sitting in the back of the plane ( his actions would not have been visible to other passengers. They are not aware not only that he’s filming but any other action
The eight passengers either have partners on board or reason to be there except. Swimmer and photographer
Photographer is keeping in touch with pilot now; did they have a previous relationship of any type? How about the swimmer?
Pilots history with airplane service is questionable not listed as an employee
What can we find out about those three ?
What an ugly piece of shit. What the hell kind of phone did he have it seems to be very well made.
A procession of Oahu Emergency Medical Services vehicles honored Fuddy.
Fuddy wearing the purple and white jacket.
Fuentes evidently was a diver and fished a lot. He was pretty young, in decent shape, and he was calm enough to keep filming. He also was calm enough to take a picture of the plane under water, a selfie, and the other passengers.
He should not have had any problems as he claimed.
Yes, but in a case unrelated to the Obama passport breach.
he did hit a surge when he neared the beach which he said exhausted him he also had heavy work jeans long sleeve shirt, steel toed boots, go pro camera and small tripod etc.
I am not going to second guess him, swimming towards shore is more likely to affect you than just floating. Since I myself have been caught in rip currents and exhausted to near panic,(yes I know what to do if caught in a rip) I can easily understand how hard it could have been for him. Read his report, he said someone on shore was trying to direct him to a better spot to get past the surge and get to shore.
I think he did a great job staying composed,surviving and taking such historical documentary video.
An adult can die in one minute in the ocean if they take in water.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.