The miracle on the Hudson comes to mind in this case. After the event there were some wondering if the crew could have safely glided to an airport. Investigator

The miracle on the Hudson comes to mind in this case. After the event there were some wondering if the crew could have safely glided to an airport. Investigators painstakingly recreated the event in a simulator and ran several trials. The issue with the experiment? The crew in the simulator knew what was coming. They were able to make the field because they were already primed to turn for the field immediately without any time to think. I’m sure you could do a blind study of this scenario but I’m sure people participating in a driving study in a simulator are not going to be driving as they do in real life. We see it every single day in the airline industry. It’s why we’re checked and observed at random intervals while out flying on the line. The surprise aspect gives you no time to prepare or study up to be in perfect shape like you do when you’re headed into a training event.