If it ain't broke, don't fix it

There can be little doubt that Vietnamese are a thrifty and ingenious lot. There are no shortage of clever engineers and skilled mechanics to prove this point.

But there is a tendency to let things run their course and only to fix what absolutely needs fixing when it urgently needs to be fixed and not a moment too soon.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Now this may work well enough for cars and trucks and simpler mechanical devices, but when it comes to something more precise, like aviation, it is a very dangerous notion.

This is what went through my mind as I read this morning's news:

Fire on Vietnam Airlines jet in Japan: official

Vietnam Airlines plane has incident in Japan

Fortunately the plane landed safely and no one was hurt.

It may be too soon to draw any firm conclusions about what caused the engine fire aboard this Vietnam Airlines jet.

But I'm going to take a wild guess and say it probably had to do with lack of proper preventative maintenance.

For years there have been stories of planes pushed to their limits, maintenance delayed and postponed, about planes landing on tires have worn through all the tread...

And this is Vietnam Airlines, the national carrier, and virtual monopoly, just think when the skies open up to Air Speed Up? Viet Jet? Nguyen Air?

If the airlines and government regulators do not get serious about maintenance, I am afraid there will be lots more and more serious incidents than this one.