That Israeli pilot was doing what he was supposed to do - fly the plane. He was so focused on keeping the plane under control and getting it down safely that he didn't have time to look around.

I always get a laugh at those who ask after a crash (especially those shortly after takeoff), "Why didn't the pilots radio anyone of their problems?" Well, in most cases they were a little busy at the time and there was nothing anyone outside the plane could do for them, anyway. Excrement not only occurs, it often occurs very rapidly.

From what I've heard, some of the NASA proposals are for completely automatic vehicles with no pilot whatsoever. It's one thing to do that with a CRV type vehicle where it lands using a parafoil. In fact, it makes a hell of a lot of sense to design the pilot out of the CRV. However, it's a different matter if you're talking about developing a vehicle for fully automatic operations through the entire flight envelop. Handling all possible malfunctions under those circumstances will be a much tougher nut to crack.

That DC-10 airliner incident (United Flight 232) you mentioned was an incredible piece of airmanship by the three pilots. When the center engine came apart, it not only took out all three hydraulic systems, it left the rudder canted to one side by about 10 degrees. Without hydraulics, they effectively had no rudder, elevator, aileron, or flap controls. They had to deploy the landing gear manually. Left to itself, the plane would've quickly spiraled into the ground. Juggling the left and right engine throttles, the crew managed to eventually get the plane lined up with the Sioux City, IA runway. Unfortunately, they lost control at the last moment. Over 100 people died in the crash but there were a 184 people on board who would've also died except for the crew. You're right, when they programmed that scenario into the flight simulators, no one including the McDonnel-Douglas test pilots was able to even get the plane near an airport, much less land the thing. There's such a thing as motivation that's hard to account for. After all, "pilots are the first at the scene of an accident."