Some of this is a quirk of how the NTSB reports accidents. For instance if a small plane suffers engine loss in flight, the cause of the accident will be listed as "failure of pilot to land the aircraft safely without power". Which is technically true, but most ordinary folks would blame the engine failure for the crash, not the pilot. It reflects a culture where the pilot is absolutely responsible for the aircraft and its passengers. That's the exact opposite of where the self-driving car industry is going.