Sorry, but its hard to discuss a point in a game when it is compared with real life. Thats not even apples vs oranges. Life vs a game is a far bigger split.
Games must have rules, in this case, landing on the runway you complete the mission and are awarded points/accolades. Any where else is a ditch or capture depending on whether you land closer to an enemy base or friendly base. In both cases you get less points and no accolades. You still are rewarded, even in a death but it is much less than a completed mission.... landing on the runway.
In real live it is a totally different story. Each and every person (<--- not PLAYER) is putting their life on the line, in most cases voluntarily. Of course the rules are much different for whether a mission is counted as a success or failure. Landing a B17 on the grass near a runway was a good thing. Those pilots and crew were lauded as heros for getting back alive whether they hit the target they were assigned or destroyed the acraft they brought in.
We all like to pretend we are those heros while we play our game, but never for an instant should we think what we do is any where near what they did or sacrificed. Your "honest opinion" of a real life mission I can fully agree with, however we are playing a game.
