No Al, you're right - the pilot is before the safety switches.

A spiderweb in the pilot tube could be enough to prevent the lighting.

HOWEVER! When I run into this at work - I back off and have the pool owner call their gas company to find/ fix the issue! I know some about this stuff, but I don't want to be responsible for blowing up someone's house!

I strongly suggest NOT to play with the internals/ gas piping, unless you are a qualified professional!!

Let's all be safe!