The men in that cockpit were clearly all of exceptional character. I'm certain that every one of them knew that their chances of surviving were lower than their passengers, yet the man most responsible for the landing wasn't even buckled in. I'd be surprised if anyone in that cockpit thought they would ever see another day. As to the reason that they went to the airport, had they made any attempt to do this anywhere else, there would have been no response team ready to deal with the results.
That the pilots were aware of this is evident with their request to have the teams stationed at the far end of the runway, to reduce response time. They knew it was going to be bad, and they didn't expect to survive it. Still, they did what they could for their passengers and crew.
To all the armchair quarterbacks, this is called the impossible landing for a reason. For any of you to think that you could do better is the height of ignorance. Everyone thinks they're the best, and only need the opportunity to prove it. The truth is that people who are that good don't want any such opportunities.