As soon as the skipper realized that there was structural damage, he may well have felt that it was a good idea to get his charge on the ground. Seems reasonable.
I would have been loathe to send anyone back there to brief me on the damage, or indeed have anyone unstrapped, so One would have had to assume that it was serious.
However, the counter argument might be that knowing the integrity of the hull was compromised, he should then treat the aircraft like glass, and get - 45NM? - to a less demanding field, reasoning that any vigorous control movements might just possibly exacerbate the structural problem.
His call.