"Safest Seat To Sit On A Plane Is...": What Expert Said After Air India Crash

One passenger on Air India flight 171 walked away as the sole survivor, after the aircraft crashed in Ahmedabad earlier this week, in what was one of the worst air disasters in India in recent times.

Indian-origin British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh was seated on 11A in the Boeing Dreamliner aircraft that crashed seconds after it took off for London Gatwick Airport from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday.

While the remaining 229 passengers, two pilots and crew members died in the crash, the 40-year-old businessman walked out of the wreckage. Dressed in a blood-stained shirt, he appeared to look dazed and burned. "I don't know how I came out of it alive," he told Doordarshan later. 

"For a while, I thought I was about to die. But when I opened my eyes, I saw I was alive. And I opened my seat belt and got out of there. The airhostess and aunty-uncle, all died before my eyes," he added. 

Photo Credit: AFP

While Mr Ramesh's survival was no less than a miracle, his seat, near the emergency exit, has prompted speculation over its safety. It has also led to questions on whether there are any safe seats in an aircraft. 

"Statistically, there are safe seats in an aircraft. I think, if I remember correctly, statistics on air crashes over many years show that either seats in the far end or right upfront are safer than seats in the middle," aviation expert Angad Singh told NDTV.

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That was clearly not the case in the Ahmedabad crash, Mr Singh said. "Seat 11A is in the middle, just before the wing. The word 'miracle' applies here. There is no other word for it."

He added: "Considering what we saw, the fireball, the extent of damage to the aircraft and the buildings on the ground, this is a complete fluke, a blessing from above." 

Seat 11A, on AI 171, was positioned in the first row of the economy class, directly behind the business cabin and close to the emergency exits on the left side. When the aircraft hit the ground, the front-left section, including 11A, collapsed, not the upper levels where the aircraft's main body suffered its worst destruction. 

Asked if he landed on the hostel, Mr Ramesh said: "No, I was closer to the ground, the ground floor, where there was space. So I came out from there. The building wall was on the opposite side and I do not think anyone was able to come out that way". 

Also Read | How 11A, Europe's Most-Hated Seat On A Boeing 737, Became Air India Crash's Luckiest

Experts said aircraft vary widely in seat configurations, crashes are unique and survival often hinges on a complex interplay of factors. "Each accident is different, and it is impossible to predict survivability based on seat location," said Mitchell Fox, a director at Flight Safety Foundation, a US-based nonprofit.

According to Reuters, a 2007 Popular Mechanics study of crashes since 1971 found that passengers towards the back of the plane had better survival odds. Some experts suggest the wing section offers more stability.

On Thursday, the London-bound flight, belonging to Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 fleet, crashed seconds after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport.

Officials said the aircraft lost altitude soon after taking off at around 1.30pm. It crashed into the residential quarters of BJ Medical College doctors in Meghaninagar area before going up in flames, sending plumes of thick black smoke spiralling up in the air.

The pilot had issued a 'Mayday' distress call, denoting a full emergency, soon after takeoff, the Air Traffic Control at Ahmedabad said.

Aviation experts said that going by the available visuals, lack of thrust in both engines and a bird hit could be among the probable causes. Visuals from the wreckage area showed bodies being pulled out and the injured, many with burns, wheeled into the city civil hospital close by.

The Centre has formed a high-level committee to probe the crash, Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu said on Thursday.