[cullenking]

I think everyone here could be confused, here's my understanding. There were three people in the helicopter that night, two pilots and one crew member. They usually fly with two crew members for a total of 4 people in the helicopter. The two crew members usually sit one on each side of the helicopter, with the task of looking out the windows to enhance situational awareness.

The minimum crew is 3, two pilots and one crew member. While not ideal, this is a regular occurrence for operational reasons, so it's part of regular training.

[lern_too_spel]

This is incorrect. The sibling comments posted earlier are correct.