I still have to wonder, though, if this would still be the case if you
ignored accidents that were caused by the pilot doing something stupid,
like launching into hideous weather without adequate preparation or
enough fuel.

It doesn't matter. "Doing something stupid" is not something you can
avoid. You =will= do something stupid in an airplane. At the time you
won't think it's that stupid, you'll have good reasons for doing it,
you'll think you are merely applying your superior skill and superior
equipment to a situation that is within your capabilities. It =will=
happen.

If you are unlucky, the rest of us will put you in the list of pilots
who did something stupid, that none of =us= would do. If you are lucky,
you'll merely think you're a better pilot. You might even have =become=
a better pilot if you realize that what you did was not as clever as you
thought it would be.

I'd bet that most of the pilots that did something stupid did not at the
time think they were doing something stupid.

If you want to eliminate something of the "stupid" stuff.... eliminate
the accidents caused by pilots who did something that =they= thought,
=at=the=time=, was stupid. But that won't eliminate much.

Jose