I'm a "bird in the hand" kind of guy (translation "wimp" or "risk-averse"?).
Unless I'm absolutely certain I can make an airport, I'm selecting the first
decent-looking, minimally populated road, field, etc., that would seemingly
facilitate a survived landing.  Circle, circle and plan for the approach
just seems less risky than potentially coming up short in a populated area,
IMHO.  However, under the stress of an actual emergency, all bets are off
...  BTW, a friend of mine's dad is a crop duster and, at last count, has
survived a half dozen or more crashes in fields mostly (as you might expect)
and fortunately, walked away from each.  The last one, however, shook him up
pretty good when he clipped a tree with his wing and almost cart-wheeled.
As such, he has finally retired at the young age of 60 something ...

My condolences go out to Shannon's family.  May God comfort them in their
time of sorrow.  Although I never met Shannon, I followed his construction
through LML and other links and was certainly impressed, like many, with his
passion, enthusiasm and contributions to the Lancair family and sport
aviation in general.

Dana Westphal
L2K-165
"Building over Geologic Time"