Although so many years have passed, some Sabahans still remember how they felt when they heard the news. And they are still wondering what it was that caused the crash.
It was called the Double Six Tragedy because it happened on June 6 in the shallow Sembulan waters. The plane was on its way from Labuan to the Kota Kinabalu airport when the GAF Nomad’s nose dropped in a one-and-a-half spiral plummet before crashing.
Among those who died with Fuad were finance minister Salleh Sulong, finance ministry permanent secretary Wahid Peter Andu, local government and housing minister Peter Mojuntin, works and communications minister Chong Thien Vun and assistant minister to the chief minister Darius Binion.
After investigations had been completed, deputy communications minister Mohd Ali M Sharif announced that the crash was due to human error, but the full findings were classified under the Official Secrets Act.
Joseph Madis, now 53, heard about the crash in the night, a few hours after it happened. His brother roused him from his sleep and said, “Our leaders, Fuad Stephens, Peter Mojuntin and others are now gone.”
Joseph, who then lived in Kampung Duvanson in Putatan, did not feel like sleeping any more and got up from bed to go to the scene, 10km away.
“The news was like a nightmare for me,” he told FMT. “The government should release the full findings because only that way will the public be fully satisfied. We need to know why and how exactly it crashed.
“Why didn’t it try to land? How was the communication like between the plane and the air traffic tower, which I remember was very small then.
“What we know is not enough. We want the full details.”
Abel Bin Ellon, who was 35 in 1976, was at home in Kinarut, 17km away, when he heard about the tragedy from friends.
“I agree that the full official report should be released to the public,” he said. “It’s not like our national security is at stake if we release it.
“Nowadays, governments and the authorities are transparent even when really serious air mishaps happen. Why can’t we get all the details now?”
Rastim Othman said he believed Sabah history would be complete only when the full findings are made known to the public.
Rastim is now 73 and the imam of a mosque. When the tragedy happened, he was working at the Sabah power authority’s office in Tanjung Aru, 1km from the crash scene.
“I left the office on hearing the news and rushed to the scene,” he said. “But it was quite far in the waters. So I and many others just watched the rescue efforts from the seaside village road.
“The government has to declassify the findings and make them publicly known. What we know about the incident at present is so patchy. We don’t know how we lost our great leaders.
“If my generation doesn’t have a clear picture of what happened, how can we expect the generations to come to know the full history of Sabah? It’s so sad.”
Fatimah Padri, 67, has feelings similar to Rastim’s. She was working in a shoe factory in Papar, 35km from the crash site.
“We learned about the tragedy on radio and all of us were shocked,” she said. “We just couldn’t continue working for the remainder of the day.
“We lost our top leaders and until now we still don’t have a full account of the accident. I’m just a regular Sabahan but we should know everything that happened.”