I have twice lost the ship on dark, Emcon silent nights when mum (surprise surprise) wasn't where she said she was, and I have to agree, it is a fairly outdated procedure in todays modern warfare scenarios.
It certainly focusses the mind and makes you allow that much extra fuel for the wife and kids when planning your recovery. But thats the point, its been happening for as long as I can remember so you factor it into your captaincy decision making.
I would have to disagree with you submariner - the lynx crew did not do an excellent job; they, and probably all the other players in this incident, cocked up to some extent, resulting in the loss of their aircraft.