Insight into the
common-element in each of those three landing mishaps, offered by "VFD" message #74 on 13Jan:
"... The key ... allowing time for ... spin up before ... brakes with inop-antiskid.... due to inop-antiskid ... additional couple seconds for ... spin-up ... spin up issue ... not tied to the MEL ..."
Earlier, over years, there had been repeat cases of TIRE FAILURE during landing, after inflight loss of the associated Electrical Bus (loss of electrical power to the AntiSkid System).
When I first read VFD's observation (re' too early application of Brakes), it made no sense, because it seemed crazy that any pilot would ever want to ride-the-Brakes during the touchdown-SpinUp phase (too early in the landing roll-out). [Only a few decades ago, such Braking-behavior meant a plume of smoke following pilots into the parking-spot (hot-brakes), with the local Crash-Fire-Rescue vehicle on standby nearby. So we avoided use of brakes.]
Anyway, based upon VFD's comment about too-EARLY Braking, I went back to reconsider those three similar B737 occurrences:
YES, as suggested in VFD's observation: Each of those three mishaps (multiple tire-failures/fire), included BRAKING (Tire Failures) at, or soon after, TOUCHDOWN.
The idea that any pilot -- even with a perfect Anti-Skid System -- would elect to initiate Braking so early, had seemed out-of-the-question. Maybe today's pilots, flying modern aircraft with massive Brake Energy capability, can routinely begin braking soon after TOUCHDOWN, as a regular habit [& routinely do it without encountering Hot Brakes, smoke, &CFR]. Just a few decades ago, pilots waited until slowed below 80Kts before thinking about Brakes. So, lacking Anti-skid protections, it seemed unreasonable to imagine any pilot initiating Braking at TOUCHDOWN. [This assumes pilot input to Brake Pedal; but pilot's Brake-Pedal FORCE / displacement was not recorded on the FDR. Might be possible that the the Pilot had input ZERO Pedal FORCE, investigators don't know that pilot's Brake "Pedal Force" input.]