Zero acceptable deaths is equivalent to zero acceptable breaches -- the only solution is to offline the system entirely. You simply can not get rid of all risk or even know if you've gotten rid of all risk.

https://assets.performance.gov/APG/files/2023/june/FY2023_Ju... states on page 5 that they're aiming to cut fatalities in half from 8.9 per 100M passengers in FY 2009 to 4.4 fatalities per 100M passengers in FY 2025. (It looks like they were doing way better than that goal.) "As low as reasonably practical" (ALARP) seems to be the term for aviation, which is very clearly not a zero fatalities goal.

> You could ask: is it _worth_ making it that safe? But we don't ask that. We just make it that safe.

They... Don't? Aviation accidents continue to happen and they will continue to happen. They've decided that a positive number of fatalities is worth it not because they want anyone to die, but because they know that perfection is impossible. You can't achieve it, and you can't know that you've achieved it.