Is this what you're talking about: "Further, the law judge determined that respondent has the burden of proving that his low altitude operation was necessary for takeoff or landing, and citing respondent’s testimony, the legislative history of the regulation, and Board precedent, found respondent failed to meet this burden given that the landing site was inappropriate under the circumstances."You should read the NTSB order. The facts are not as he claims. But if this concerns you, there's a simple solution: plan to do touch-and-goes on your practice approaches.
Seems like the whole case rests on whether or not Trent could plausibly have landed there. The judge determined that he couldn't. Trent claims he could.