Originally Posted by
MungoP
The reluctance to declare a fuel emergency or call a MAYDAY isn't simply the issue of paperwork..
Declaring a fuel emergency will result in an enquiry that under circumstances such as these is likely to reflect badly on the captain's decision making and result in a blemish on the pilot's record that will affect his future employment prospects with a major airline, or even threaten his current employment status.
Because getting killed in the resultant crash is so much better
This literally falls into the Darwin Award category, unfortunately with a bunch of other victims.