The commission investigating the crash of a small plane in the municipal district of Tireo, in Constanza, is questioning 13 people, including a Lieutenant Colonel and a Sergeant Major of the Army, a first lieutenant of the Air Force and a former Police private, as well as seven others. Armed Forces intelligence sources have told Diario Libre that they are trying to establish whether or not the people under investigation had anything to do with the accident. The investigations are under the command of a special commission made up of the Armed Forces, the Dominican Civil Aviation Institute, the National Drug Control Agency (DNCD) and the Dominican Air Force.

The individuals being held in connection with the investigation into the incident include aviation businessman Rafael Rosado, who is said to be the owner of the aircraft, a Piper Chieftain twin-engine registration N711WXm. A Venezuelan, two Americans and one Puerto Rican are also under investigation. Eduardo Leyba Perez and the pilot Victor Hugo Sanchez were both killed in the crash. Leyba Perez, who was apparently serving as co-pilot, was a captain of the National Police attached to the DNCD. The twin-engine aircraft left the 14 de Junio Airport in Constanza and crashed in Tireo just 15 kilometers away.

The authorities want to determine whether any residue from controlled substances is on the aircraft. They are also trying to establish the causes of the crash.

Sources said that the investigation has not finished, as they are waiting to see if they can establish the eventual relationships between the military personnel, the civilians and foreigners in these events. Moreover, they are searching to see if the airplane's permits and airworthiness were in line with the regulations. It is known that the aircraft flew from the Bahamas to Puerto Plata in August 2012.

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