That aircraft might not have a data recorder as it was manufactured before they were mandated. If that's the case eye witness accounts are about all they're going to get for evidence and let's be honest, with something this high profile you're not going to get much truth. Flightradar24 shows that they were descending as they flew through the mountains and ascended just prior to impact. They turned directly into the mountains.it's my understanding they were ascending when advised they were too low. I will wait for the NTSB to look at flight data recorder, cockpit recorder information, i.e. the whole picture of what unfolded. This investigation has only begun.
N72EX - Sikorsky S-76B [760379] - Flightradar24
It looks like they were in a holding pattern for 15 minutes over Pasadena so if I had to lay money on it I'd bet that they were in a hurry and the pilot made some poor choices as they navigated the mountains trying to follow the 101.