Board Thread:Questions and Answers/@comment-71.79.101.59-20140402002122/@comment-99.179.25.8-20141003030716

My theory:

The Meta was able to finally pull off the Warthog tow hook attached to his chest, only to crash onto the frozen lake. This would have killed him, had it not been for Sarge kicking the Pelican down and smashing the ice. Maine's oxygen supply prevented death by asphyxiation, drowning. By the time he awoke, UNSC teams recovering the destroyed materiel from the fight had captured Maine, confiscated his armor, and temporarily held him in the brig of a frigate carrying some familiar colored marines. When the ship was torn apart, Maine made his way out of the wreckage, only to be captured again by Charon Industries' mercenaries. He is currently in the brig of the Staff of Charon, and his helmet (and possibly armor) are being held in it's "trophy room". While I agree that Maine's return would probably serve no purpose to the series, he likely is still alive.