History records incidents in other cultures as well where the same is true.
Only his extraordinary flying skills enabled him to regain control of the plane and level off. And, understandably, the crew was seized with fear as the pilot went through this exercise. Once the plane leveled off, the crew reportedly regained its composure. With death no longer imminent, clearer thinking should have prevailed and the two responsibilities placed in their appropriate priority by the crew. At some point, crew members had to recognize that they might not be able to fully destroy equipment and documents before making an emergency landing in China and, thus, run the additional risk that some of their intelligence-gathering capabilities might be compromised.