Originally Posted by
rottenjohn
..You claim reasonably “heavy”. Did someone tell you that? Along with all your theories, your speculation and trying to sound knowledgeable makes you look like a prize dick.
4 POB in a 4 place helicopter it is fair to assume they were "reasonably heavy". That should be self evident.
My speculation speculates one of four possibilities, in order of likelihood.
1. An oopsie moment during a photo shoot at low level (don't always believe initial passenger reports about anything);
2. A sudden engine failure at a bad spot in the H/V profile.
3. A sudden engine failure outside the H/V which the pilot messed up the auto-rotation and splattered it.
4. Something else.