deSitter,
That's a pretty harsh indictment of a lot of good people. People are not 100% perfect at flying planes or designing and writing software. Most pilots and software engineers are very committed to continuous improvement in our respective professions. In the case of AF447, great care needs to be given to the point of intersection of these two disciplines precisely because, as you point out, errors or omissions (whether piloting or programming) can lead to people dying.