As far as reef landing near the NC.....most logical for several reasons. And was discussed a long time ago. Flat, almost dry surface, wide and long enough, near a ship wreck which may offer supplies or shelter (at least a strong landmark). But what we know about AE is also important, and yes I wasn't there or inside her head for sure, but her history shows she would not be ready to give up on completing this flight. A airplane in one piece, found quickly, refueled, could then continue on. Ditching is rather final. She had a habit of not necessarily ending up where she meant to go. I CAN imagine the excitement of seeing that reef, dry, wide and long, with both fans still spinning. I may have been to excited to make a good landing....but I would have certainly tried to keep the hope alive. Just my 2 cents...about what it is worth to some I am sure.
I would disagree with the NC spot being the "most logical". I know Ric doesn't like speculation, but where she landed involves a deal of speculation, no way around it, we don't have pictures of her touching down. She would have no idea how flat or smooth the surface was as she was landing besides a low flyover. At the Norwich, she also would have the shortest "runway" to stop the plane, and there is obvious debris all over around the Norwich. What if she ran across the anchor chain that would not be visible while flying over?
Let's see,
Choice 1, no debris, 4 mile stretch of dry reef that looks straight,flat, dry, dunes to the left, water to the right.
Choice two. Put it down next to a huge beached freighter with lord knows what junk is half buried in a hole, or chains waiting to flip the electra end over end, and high trees off to one side, a 5000 ton freigher off to the other, and the shortest stretch of reef on the entire atoll to land on.
I really don't think Choice two is the most obvious or logical choice for landing. She could always land on the Northern shore and walk to the wreck for supplies if she wanted. She doesn't have to land right in front of the ship. It would have been very dangerous to do so not knowing what was on the surface among all the steel debris. She might have anyway. But it doesn't mean that is the most logical.