After nearly 40 years as a safety engineer studying human response to unusual situations, I can attest that humans do not handle upset situations very well, especially when distracted. Unless you practice the scenario on a frequent basis, making the correct response is difficult. Checklists are helpful, but only to instill the right muscle memory for a procedure. In a true emergency, few people have the time to read and follow the checklist. That’s why the Apollo astronauts spent hundreds of hours practicing routine and emergency procedures before going out on the real thing.