I agree with your sentiment but one of the biggest killers in night VFR has been somatogravic illusion during initial climbout. No matter how clear the skies even flying out of a major airport the horizon (due to surrounding lights only) will not appear until about 500', which is why thorough training is what is required together with a serious approach to the operation.
A single serviceable AH and a VSI is all that is needed to tackle the problem. Remember many of these accidents have happened in adequately equipped aircraft on CAVOK nights without any commercial pressures.