I'm with you all the way on this one, mate....IF the pilot has the option, which in an F-16, Tonka or similar he probably doesn't, cause they could just come apart on you if they get distressed down in the boiler room - and I can't see the point of losing the best witness to an accident just because there may be a house within five miles!
The only accident I can remember where the aircraft turned back to a populated area was a Hunter, years ago, which the pilot flew out to sea, then after the ejection, it turned around and crashed in a Cornish village - but I don't recall any fatalities. It just bugs me severely when my spouse sets off on this one whenever a military jet crashes, and the pilot escapes with his life!