Of course the trick is to know when to be smart and when to be a slave, for the Monday morning quarterbackers will have you for lunch
Very true. What is important to realise though, is that whenever you are confronted with a problem which the RFM requires you to LAND IMMEDIATELY from, any and every moment you elect to stay airborne is potentially a moment closer to your maker. If you know and understand that and accept because of the particular situation you are faced with, then all well and good. However, the phrase "continued flight may prove more hazardous than the consequences of landing in an unsuitable location" should always be ringing in your ears.
blind obedience to the flight manual, "land immediately" is often confounded by the actual conditions, and by the fact that the aircraft is still flying nicely, even if a few lights are on
That's fine to say, but how about reversing that and saying, "don't be lulled into a false sense of security by the fact that the aircraft is still flying nicely, even if a few lights are on?"
Remember, "it is better to be on the ground (or maybe in a dinghy) wishing you were flying, than to be flying and wishing you were on the ground!" I'm sure plenty of posters can attest to that - I know I sure as hell can!
PS. The references to what crews did in a DC-10 simulator are also biased, I believe, because clearly the successful crews applied what knowledge they had about the accident in question. Prior to that, the outcomes would likely have been similar. The Air Florida accident is a different case, of course - any crew that doesn't firewall the throttles when presenetd with what they had, deserves the outcome
. Sadly their pax did not!