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by amelius 3923 days ago
"On" suggests that there is intention involved. "By" suggests passivity.
2 comments

How would you describe an intentional accident, and how does that differ from a passive accident? I don't see a scenario where the distinction could even apply.
Wouldn't the fact of intention contradict the notion of an accident?
Perhaps that's the subtle humour behind this linguistic change?

"I broke your mug on accident", at the fifth word, the listener/reader thinks the other person is about to say "on purpose", but suddenly they say "on accident". Hence it's funny, reduces the tension about them breaking your mug.