"Jim Macklin" writes:

A pilot declares an "emergency" and wants something done.
The pilot only knows what he can see on his panel, what he
has been told on the radio and therefore, his request may
not be THE solution to the problem.

The pilot's decision is final. He decides on the solution, nobody else.

My point is that ATC did get him on the ground safely.

Not unless the controller was Charlton Heston and had himself lowered into the
cockpit on a rope.

If ATC had granted the pilot's request for 17 ...

ATC cannot withhold or grant requests to an aircraft that has declared an
emergency. It can only take note of the pilot's intentions and direct other
traffic and services appropriately.

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