[tjohns]

The autopilot parameters and control inputs would still be captured by the flight data recorder.

Aviation as an industry is built on blameless, honest post-mortems. There's a strong safety culture, and pilots are encouraged to share their mistakes so that other pilots can learn from them.

In most cases, filing a safety report will protect the pilot against any retribution from either the airline or the federal government. At worst, they'd be asked to undergo additional training. There's no reason for the pilots to engage in deception here.