Experts Say "There Are Exceptions... Hard to Generalize"
On June 12 (local time), 274 people lost their lives in the crash of Air India flight AI171 in India. As it was revealed that the sole survivor was seated in '11A', there has been growing interest in this particular seat.
According to foreign media outlets such as the New York Times (NYT) on June 13, the only survivor of the accident has been identified as a 38-year-old man named Vishwashi Kumar Ramesh. Initially, it was presumed that everyone had died in the crash, but he reportedly limped out of the wreckage on his own and walked to an ambulance, saying, "I got out of the plane."
The 11A seat where Vishwashi was seated is in the first row of economy class and is located near the emergency exit. However, his brother, who was on the same flight but seated elsewhere, tragically lost his life.
In relation to this, some aviation experts have stated that sitting near an emergency exit can help survival in the event of an accident, but the 11A seat is not always next to the exit door.
Barbara Dunn, president of the International Aviation Safety Investigation Association, explained, "The seat most favorable for survival varies depending on the accident situation," adding, "People generally believe that the rear seats are safer, but it actually depends on factors such as fire or the location of the exits."
Ron Bartz, president of the Australian aviation consulting firm Avrow, also pointed out, "In this accident, only the seat close to the emergency exit was advantageous," and added, "The 11A seat is not in the same position on every aircraft. The seat layout differs from plane to plane."
Some have even analyzed that this particular seat could actually be dangerous. CNN aviation safety analyst David Soucie said, "11A is a seat near the wing, so in a crash it can be the first to hit the ground," and assessed, "It is truly remarkable that someone survived from this seat."
The accident occurred at around 1:38 p.m. local time on June 13 near Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. The passenger jet, which was headed for London, crashed into a residential area shortly after takeoff, resulting in the deaths of at least 274 people, including passengers and local residents. The exact cause of the accident is still under investigation.
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