I don't fly these days but from the late 60's thru the 90's I was up in a plane often. I was studious about... meaning I used to read accident reports often. You will have a tough time finding an accident, since forever, that is not at least in 'part' pilot error.. mostly pilot error entirely. BUT... there are accidents that aren't, they do happen.
As you may recall I was in a plane accident... and it was 100% pilot error. And no, I was not the PIC, (Pilot In Charge)... I was a passenger, two seater.
You and I are very similar regarding 'risks'... life is a risk, I accept that. I don't think that makes me 'stupid' and I certainly don't think it means I have a death wish. I weight the risks, and I prepare well in whatever activity I'm going to participate in.
People who dive in to an activity, (sorry, my choice of word meaning ALL activities, not just diving), without proper training confuse me.... and not just because of the 'danger'... I honestly think they are missing 'most' of the fun. Learning is one of the best parts of any activity... and with knowledge comes more security - meaning that whatever you're doing you can enjoy it more. - JamesJM