Gantembein, you make it sound as if wrong decisions will never be made by professional pilots - me thinks history proves otherwise.
I would have thought black smoke issuing on a first flight after fuel pump had been replaced should have given enough area of doubt to land asap and have it looked at.
The idea you can press on (partially over water) simply because there is lots of airfields en route seems crazy.
I was also concerned at the captains reluctance to comply with the fire service request for an immediate evacuation...I wonder how long it took for him/her to agree, while all the time the fire risk got worse. Perhaps the commander should have listened a little more respectfully to the professionally trained firefighter staring at a fuel leak underneath his aircraft.
Press-on-itis got the better of a mate of my fathers a few years back (and his back seater)...and yes he was a 'professional' pilot.