Why do all ASTARS seem to end up as a pile of ashes
I do not know but local TV Helo pilot says they are equiped with a 140 gallon plastic fuel tank right under the main gear box rather than a bladder.
His assumption was that a hard landing breaks the gear box and crushes the fuel tank or a hyraulic shock from the fuel in the tank on a hard/crash landing causes the tank to rupture.
This one happened almost in my back yard, literally.
I had an idea from your previous posts that you probably lived pretty close to the accident.
VFD