IO540 - Well, I do
I'd suggest that in flying you should always be cognisant of the risks, and make an informed decision - escape routes are not black and white.
- SE IFR quite possibly may not give you an escape route - an engine failure might mean gliding into cloud with rocks in it, or popping out of an unacceptably low base looking for somewhere to park it.
- Overwater you 'just' ditch and hop in the liferaft - er, yeah. Depends on a lot of things including the sea state.
- Overland it's a forced landing - terrain allowing. Mountainous? Rough? Desert? Not always straight forward.
I *completely* agree that the chances of a good outcome at night are severely reduced, but I'd contend that a night engine failure is no more an automatic death sentence, than a day engine failure is an automatic non-event.
You (sorry, we) *are* fortunate in having a lot of airfields scattered around this country - some smart routing and a sensible cruise alt can minimise the risks. It's also one place where (rarely for me), I'd highly advocate having a GPS - the 'Nearest' button can be very handy. I'd certainly rather have a second engine given the choice.
What I don't understand is how treating it as IMC makes any difference, particularly in the event of engine failures and the like? Or am I misunderstanding something about the UK NVFR - For night I expect to plan LSALT, alternates due lighting, weather, and suchlike - hence my comment that it improves the pilot, requiring a lot more rigorous approach than the usual daytime bimble.