Aviation in itself is not inherently dangerous. But to an even
greater degree than the sea, it is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness,
incapacity or neglect.
If you are looking for perfect safety, you will do well to sit on
a fence and watch the birds; but if you really wish to learn, you must mount a
machine and become acquainted with its tricks by actual trial.
— Wilbur Wright, from an address to the Western Society of
Engineers in Chicago, 18 September 1901
and finally,
What is the cause of most aviation accidents:
Usually it
is because someone does too much too soon, followed very quickly by too little
too late.
— Steve Wilson, NTSB investigator, Oshkosh, WI , August,
1996