My impression is that they might have had a better result if he'd obeyed orders, or they might have pancaked into the ground at an even greater velocity and kil

My impression is that they might have had a better result if he'd obeyed orders, or they might have pancaked into the ground at an even greater velocity and killed everyone. Maybe a simulation could figure out, after the fact, which one it would have been. But it's a moot point, because there was no way either the captain or the flight instructor could have known for sure. Each man did what he guessed was best in the heat of a impossible, unprepared-for situation, and they managed to save nearly two-thirds of the passengers. IIRC, The investigation praised them all and exonerated them completely, which the FAA doesn't do lightly.