I also heard a witness on the news say the angle of entry was 45 deg.
While its speculation, it sounds like a stall from a stretched glide, in which case, the pilot may have hit his head or lost consciousness on impact on the dashboard. There was also a description that it stayed afloat " for two mintues" but thats just what the guy on the beach said when interviewed.
I was thinking what I would do in the same situation, as I fly Victor 1 regularly. I read an article that was very well researched, and apparrently in GA ditchings the passenger survival rate is no different between high or low wing, or between retract UC or fixed UC.
I dont fly Victor one now if I have passengers in the rear seat - especially very old or very young.
For myself, if I thought the glide wasnt going to make it, I would probably try to land perpendicular to land, in the direction of the waves and a short distance out from the wave break. In the interest of public safety, for myself I would probably prefer a ditching rather than a landing on a busy beach, but thats just thinking of it a bit. But I grew up near the beaches and dont mind the surf.
We wear life vests on victor 1 for that reason.
For aircraft with fixed gear, doesn anyone have a few on the ideal ditching technique? My instinct is that a wheel first water contact risks a flip over.
May his dear family find some peace.