Loretta Fuddy occupied Seat 2A on the plane, but a life-like mannequin crafted to look like her occupied the space to Jake Key's right in Seat 3B. That "Doppelgӓnger" was adorned with a blue helmet, and was not on the manifest.
There is no way the pilot could have missed this extra personage getting onto his airplane at this remote, low-traffic-volume airport.
Note well the ridged manufacturing artifact of the mannequin’s helmet is just coincidentally identical to the ridge on Mr. Briley’s helmet seen above!
These features 1) mannequin in Fuddy's likeness pre-position on the plane prior to ditching, 2) Helmet and neck brace for Bruce Briley, who later disowned ever needing or wearing a helmet, 3) a hair-covering, blue helmet disguise for the mannequin, and 4) that the pilot allowed a stowaway, 5) ridged mold manufacturing artifact, suggesting field production, as is common in the military
all support the pre-planned nature of this ruse!
And if it's pre-planned, it can't be called an accident.