You’ve probably heard the news – one person survived a fatal aircraft crash which makes him a hot item for being in a seat on a plane. Literally. It concerned seat 11A on an Air India Boeing 787. The sole survivor Ramesh Vishawas Kumar” was immediately next to the emergency exit exit door, when the plane crashed, everyone else didn’t.
Emergency Exit = Safe Zone?
First off, 11A was safe that day, in that case, was located close to the emergency door, and that side of the plane wasn’t crushed upon impact. However that doesn’t mean, it is invariably the safest seat on a plane. Aviation expert Ron Bartsch stated, “It depends on the aircraft layout,” and yes, 11A, may not even to be located with respect to the emergency door or any other exit, on another aircraft.
“No Seat is Truly Safe,” Say the Experts
Let’s be real. According to folks who study plane crashes, there is no seat that is safe. Each crash is unique. This is what Mitchell Fox of the Flight Safety Foundation means by saying that whether or not you survive based on your seat location is like trying to forecast the weather months in advance.
Now, if you look at older studies, such as one by Popular Mechanics, you could draw some conclusions. In a previous accident, passengers in the back of the plane had slightly better survival rates. Others would say that sitting above the wings is much more stable. So, um…who knows?
Fast Exits = Better Odds?
Kumar being next to the exit helped him. He got out fast, and the side of the plane that he was on didn’t crash into a building like the other side. That must have saved his life.
Now, don’t get me wrong – emergency exits are not always open. If the crash compromises the fuselage or blocks the emergency exit doors, even the best seat doesn’t make a difference.
Aisle seats: convenient, but potentially hazardous?
I mean yes — you get a faster disembarkation when you are on the aisle but you’re also seated in “sudden turbulence stuff drops on you” territory. To be fair, “stuff” can fall from random things — like a panel that flew off a Boeing 737 MAX during operational conditions in early 2024. Luckily, no one was seated downwind but can you imagine if they were?
Want to Improve Your Chances of Surviving? Pay attention.
Sure, you can’t control your location most of the time in the cabin but you can control your attentiveness to crew members. Safety briefings at the start of flights: boring, I know. But it matters. Knowing how far you’re seated from exits, counting rows, and staying situationally aware could be what saves you when things go sideways, especially if things become smoky.
This is literally what saved over 300 passengers in a Japan Airlines flight earlier this year after a freak runway accident. Everyone survived. Why? They listened and followed instructions.
Flying Safety has improved immensely
To be fair, flying today is incredibly safe compared to how it used to be. Cabin design has vastly changed over the years — flame resistant seat materials, smart exit identification lighting, and automated fire-suppression systems.
Mitchell Fox has said as a profession we are looking much better and he is correct, most accidents aren’t caused by defective seats or poor design – most accidents are either caused by a naturally occurring event (ex. thunderstorm, birds) or a very rare mechanical malfunction.
Quick summary?
So no, 11A is not a magic seat for safety, and worrying about “the safest location” on the plane misses the point. What would help is having situational awareness, following crew instructions, and maybe not sleeping through the safety video.
Whatever it is still extremely safe to travel via flight and always helps to be prepared?