Health director Loretta Fuddy dies in plane crash off Hawaii Loretta Fuddy named as the only victim the crash of a Cessna Grand Caravan carrying eight others Fuddy entered the national spotlight briefly after allowing the release of Obama's long-form birth certificate Officials said Thursday that engine failure was to blame for the crash The Hawaii State Health Director who authorized the release of President Obama's birth certificate in 2011 died Wednesday when her plane went down in the Pacific near a remote island. Loretta Fuddy was the only person aboard the aircraft to die. The others, including the pilot, were either rescued by boat or swam ashore. Fuddy was on her way back to Honolulu after a visit to what was once Hawaii's leper colony on the island of Molokai when, officials said Thursday, the Cessna Grand Caravan went down due to engine failure. Only victim: Hawaii Health Director Loretta Fuddy was the only death among nine aboard the Cessna Grand Caravan that crashed in the ocean near Molokai, Hawaii on Wednesday Proof? Fuddy entered the national spotlight briefly in 2011 when she authorized the release of Barack Obama's long-form birth certificate to put to rest so-called 'birther' conspiracies about the nation of the Commander-in-Chief's birth Hated by birthers: Fuddy released the long-form birth certificate after years of 'birther' conspiracy theories about the president One passenger was able to swim to shore and the others on board the Cessna Grand Caravan were rescued by helicopter and boat. The Makani Kai Air plane, which was scheduled to fly to Honolulu at 3.15pm, went down at about 3.45pm, half a mile northwest of Kalaupapa peninsula, Maui Fire Department spokesman Lee Mainaga said. Fuddy had been booked on the flight along with the health department's deputy director Keith Yamamoto, a spokeswoman for the department said. Two government sources later confirmed to Kitv that Fuddy had died. The 65-year-old, who had won awards for her work with children and social work, had been appointed as director in 2011. Fuddy and Yamamoto had been on an annual visit to Kalaipapa, a former colony for leprosy sufferers. The remote peninsula on the north side of Molokai still houses a settlement for patients with leprosy, which is run by the Health Department. Three of the crash survivors were plucked from the sea by a Coast Guard helicopter and fire crews saved five others. No emergency calls were received from the pilot of the stricken aircraft, and the accident was called in by another pilot who had spotted debris in the sea, Khon 2 reported. Crash: A Makani Kai Air plane was carrying nine people when it crashed in the sea Remote: Radio and cell phone communications are poor in Molokai. The wreckage was spotted by a second plane. Fuddy was the only casualty when the Makani Kai Air plane, bound for Honolulu Kalaupapa is a unique area and radio communication can be poor there, cell phone coverage, that kind of stuff. So right now, we have no information if any calls were made out,' Richard Schuman, owner of Makani Kai Air, said. The pilot who reported the crash continued to fly around the crash site and relayed information to authorities to help guide them to the wreckage.