Originally Posted by The_Bouncer

The EC261 case is far from a slam dunk. The airline will almost certainly contend that a pilot being injured in what was presumably a freak accident, at an outstation where they can't be expected to have replacement crew immediately available, constitutes an extraordinary circumstance beyond their control. Does anyone know of any relevant precedents?

They are, of course on the hook for Duty of Care. This means hotel, food and communications for the duration of your delay. I am assuming they paid for this. If they didn't, it's a different story.

In this case, I would personally be inclined to accept the 40k AA miles and use them on OneWorld flights, as long as this is being offered in addition to Duty of Care.