Originally Posted by
etudiant
It may be prejudice, but I'm in the mechanical failure camp. The tail being 500 ft from the main fuselage, after a low altitude crash into shallow water, seems difficult to explain otherwise.
I'm not a pilot, but I've hired helicopter pilots for photo shoots and I know that area, and similar places in South Florida and the Caribbean. It may not be that hard to explain the 500 foot distance if that's what it turns out to be. Tidal action can be very strong in shallow water, especially when funneled out of even shallower bays and inlets between islands. A separated tailboom is one of the lighter parts of a helicopter, so I think more information is needed about local tides and currents before assuming it's difficult to explain. The location of the separated main rotor blades, if they've been recovered, might offer some clues.