simulator in a scenario we've asked him to do for the purposes of this story, this pilot cannot stand it. does it exceed pilot instinct? is it human instinct to pull up the stick at that point? >> yes, i'm thinking about the safety of my passengers my crew and the plane. that's what i do as a pilot. >> reporter: is that why this incident has so disturbed the people in your profession? >> it's unthinkable that a pilot would take an airplane and drive it into the ground. it's not something we would ever think about. >> reporter: kyung lah, cnn, las vegas. >> joining me again, cnn aviation correspondent richard quest and with us ron stock and airbus a320 captain. ron, it's interesting to see that pilot in the simulator couldn't even bring himself that close to simulate crashing an aircraft. just against every instinct pilots have. >> even in the simulator, i can assure you there isn't a pilot out there that wants to allow that to happen.