"Snowbird"

It's natural but unfortunate, because sometimes we'd learn
more by starting from the assumption that these were smart
people who intended to be careful, safe pilots and asking
"why would a smart pilot do something which sounds so dumb?"
snippety snip
All the above is a long winded way of saying, when I was
a new pilot, it comforted me that the principle cause of
accident was pilot error, and often "dumb" pilot errors
like running out of fuel. Now, having seen a couple
accident chains unfold next to me and having come to a
couple points where "there, but for the grace...went I"
it no longer comforts me.

Yep, good points. Thanks for taking the time to say it.