By LEDEDRA MARCHE

Senior Freeport News Reporter

and YASMIN RIGBY-BLUES

Blue Notes News Agency

Turks and Caicos and aviation authorities are investigating what caused a Piper Aztek to plunge in waters just off South Caicos Monday moments after take-off, killing all four onboard.

Carson Hoyte Garland was piloting the plane when it reportedly took a nosedive in fairly shallow waters around 6:45 Monday evening, minutes after the plane left South Caicos airport en route to Providenciales.

Cleverson Forbes, Paul Cartwright, and Robert Cox and Hoyte, the owner, are all residents of South Caicos.

The flight time is usually around 20 minutes between South Caicos and Providenciales, but the plane went down in waters off South Caicos some two miles into the journey.

It was revealed that there was some problem with the battery when the men were starting up the six seater; however, it is not believed that this problem would have caused the crash.

Superintendent Rodney Adams of the Criminal Investigation Depart-ment with the Turks and Caicos Police told The Freeport News yesterday the police was notified of the crash within minutes.

"Apparently, from what I'm gathering, some persons from South saw when the plane went down and they alerted our authorities," he said.

Superintendent Adams says it would appear, from the description of the wreckage from officers on the scene, the men were killed instantly.

"Everyone is in a state of shock from what I've gathered," he said.

The plane had reportedly busted in a number of pieces.

He said it had apparently just arrived to the island and Hoyte had just acquired it a few days ago.

Local fishermen and residents of South Caicos moved in to attempt to execute rescue and recovery efforts and were soon assisted by the U.S. Coast Guard out of Inagua in the search which occurred throughout the night.

By morning, the remains of the four men were said to have been retrieved.

Reports are that at about 9:50 p.m. the U.S. Coast Guard found the wreckage of the aircraft within a half-mile North West of South Caicos airport, and at about 10:30 p.m. the U.S. Coast Guard Chopper lowered Sgt. Darron Williams of the police department onto the crash site where he immediately reported that all occupants had perished.

They were taken to a morgue in South Caicos and family members were informed during the course of the night.

During a press conference at the Chief Minister's Office in South Caicos Tuesday, a civil aviation official noted that the Piper Aztec had no black box and the cause of the crash had still not been determined.

Assistance is being sought from the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority.

The Chief Minister of the Turks & Caicos Hon. Michael Misick assured the country that the government is doing all it can to find out the cause of the plane crash that took the lives of four productive young men.

The Chief Minister, along with the Governor, H.E. Richard Tauwhare, Deputy Chief Minister Hon. Floyd Hall and the Minister of Communications, who is also a representative for South Caicos, visited family members of the victims through the afternoon yesterday.

Reading the press statement the chief minister said that at 6:45 p.m. the tower operator at South Caicos Airport informed the police in South Caicos that the Piper Aztec had crashed shortly after take off.

"Everyone is in a state of shock from what I've gathered," said Superin-tendent Adams.

When questioned if the men had any relation to The Bahamas, Superinten-dent Adams said they were all natives of South Caicos and might have lived in The Bahamas for short periods.

The men are said to be in their late 20s to early 30s.

Cox had reportedly just proposed to his girlfriend on Christmas Day, the day before the doomed crash and Forbes' baby is reportedly due any day now.