Yup.
Aircraft manufactures get it in the neck, when it’s mostly the pilot who’s screwed up.
So the family sues, and wins because juries are swayed by tears & not facts. I’ve participated in more than a few crash investigations and have seen the results; aircraft performs flawlessly, pilot screws up, get s killed, family sues, manufacture pays...
The lawsuit of The family of Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan Vs. Parker Hannifin comes to mind. The NTSB ruled the Parker Hannifin vacuum pump did not fail and did not contribute to the crash, yet the jury ruled in favor of the Carnahan family.
You are correct. I’ll preface my comments by saying I grew up co-piloting private airplanes — my father owned four of them over the years. I grew up assuming that I would also own airplanes, because it used to be a hobby affordable to anyone with a median income, but no longer, because prices have soared [pun intended] out of sight. More than anything else, lawyers killed private aviation with huge lawsuits. More regulations and requirements have also driven up the complexity and expense of aircraft. I also recall my first whiff of political correctness after the 1970’s oil embargo — some people opined that it was wasteful buring precious gas in luxury items such as planes and boats.