The subject is a thorny one, and one that bedevils certification and operating authorities the world over.
You can make a case for allowing someone to be firmly attached to a helicopter (not on a hoist/ winch) for the purposes of saving lives - the risk to the person underneath the helicopter of an engine failure having bad consequences is outweighed by the benefit to the person being rescued. But there is always a risk that things will go wrong, and when they do, there are folks who will say "I told you so".
This could generate a lot of discussion - my sympathies to the family of the missing man, and to the pilot of the helicopter who had to make that decision.
Shawn