Dear rubik,
„...I am not suggesting that the outcome would have been so different, nobody can see what might have been...” quite right! so how can you be so sure that “...the outcome of some accidents would have been different had the pilots at the controls had less of an 'I can do this' attitude of mind...” ?
Considering options is one step in the decision-finding process. Airline pilots are trained in decision-making and I can’t see how a ‘I canNOT do this’ attitude would be advantageous.
However, I think I get your point here, but we do have the option of “crash landing” an airliner; it is just such an extremely rare occasion where such a course of action would yield a less catastrophic result.
It is not “I can/cannot do this”, but “what can I do” that plays the leading role in handling an emergency, a combination of sticking to procedures with airmanship supported by experience. Therefore “accepting defeat” is never an option.
Concorde: I doubt that the pilots were aware of the severity of the damage, and putting it into a field S&L with a full load of fuel,........???
Sioux City: The only difference here would have been the location of the touchdown. It also would have taken hours for emergency services (who saved many lives) to arrive at the scene...???
always happy landings
dolly