> if you defer safety of the system to maintenance accidents are bound to happen

On a 757 classic? The plane is over 30 years old. Everything about it is maintenance. (To say nothing of a terrific track record.)

I'm also not sure which pilot would not prefer a nose wheel detaching, which is a known and limited (albeit expensive and uncomfortable) failure, to something like smoke or steam in the cabin, which could be innocuous or catastrophic. Particularly if it's coming from something like a battery fire, which is both a critical issue and something the manufacturer designed into the plane.

Nose wheels shouldn't detach. But it happens, last I believe during Covid on a Turkish Airlines A320. Drawing conclusions about Boeing's current fleet from a 757 Classic is exactly the sort of overfitting I'm talking about.