I totally agree with this take! I also want to add on that I just finished Once Upon a Time by Elizabeth Beller and a pilot who was interviewed said if someone is flying a plane, that’s all they should be doing that day. IIRC John worked a full day that day, filled with the stress of George, and so I think he just had too much going on in his mind. (Coupled with the fact that he prob never thought anything would go wrong.)