My attempt to unpack the available evidence didn't quite lead me to the same conclusion, but you're right about the amount of pretty credible evidence being really large.
I have a relative who's a pilot and has some anecdotes that add to my sense that a lot of the reports could pretty easily be people's perceptions not being reliable in highly unusual circumstances. Coupled with experimental aircraft and intentional psyops, there might not be anything else to see here.
I saw someone post about how the death rate of test flight pilots plummeted at the same time as UFO crashes started being reported. Big if true, as they say.