If you leave the a/t off, YOU fly the plane while someone ELSE is trimming.
foxniner,
You sure about that? How about the pilot flying handling the thrust levers and trim, just like we have done since pitch trim was invented some time shortly after 1901?
Re. the fatalities caused by fire and rescue teams, it is some years ago that a "night survivable accident" major exercise was conducted at YSSY.
In the post exercise wash-up, one conclusion was that, had it been a real situation, a major cause of fatalities would have been the fire appliances and other RFFS vehicles hitting those already evacuated.
I would not be too quick to criticise the emergency personnel, such fatalities or injuries are possible, and the risk of same can never be zero. Getting the foam on the fire is the first priority, for all the obvious reasons.
There is nothing remotely challenging about a visual approach to runways 28 at KSFO, for a pilot of the expected competence of one flying any transport aircraft.
However, having said that, cast your minds back to the JAL DC-8 that didn't even make the threshold, but flopped in the water well short. It was subsequently determined that the aircraft had actually touched the bridge, but this did not cause the accident.