Yeah I totally get what you're saying.. If he was 500 or even a thousand feet up I never thought about it for a second...
But I'm assuming that auto gyro glide paths have to be similar to fixed wing at best? If so, I couldn't imagine finding any place to put it down with an engine failure.
Of course I realize the odds are low for an engine failure, but it's the part of the envelope I was always told to stay out of :-)