Seat 11A is not inherently the safest on a plane, despite the survival of Viswash Kumar Ramesh in the Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025. Aviation experts emphasize that no single seat guarantees safety due to the unique nature of each crash and varying aircraft configurations.
Ramesh’s survival in seat 11A, located next to an emergency exit, allowed him to escape quickly before fire spread, as the opposite side of the plane was blocked by a building. Ron Bartsch, Chairman at AvLaw Aviation Consulting, noted, “In this particular instance, because the passenger was sitting adjacent to the emergency exit, this was obviously the safest seat on the day,” but clarified it’s not always 11A, only on that specific Boeing 787 configuration. Mitchell Fox from the Flight Safety Foundation added, “Each accident is different, and it is impossible to predict survivability based on seat location.”
Studies suggest seats near emergency exits, within five rows, can improve evacuation speed, and rear seats may have slightly better survival odds (e.g., a 2007 Popular Mechanics study found a 69% survival rate at the back versus 49% at the front). Seats near the wings offer structural stability, but experts like Jeff Guzzetti, a former FAA investigator, stress that crash dynamics are unpredictable, making it futile to pinpoint one seat as safest. For instance, a nose-first crash might favor rear seats, but a tail impact could reverse this.
Experts unanimously recommend practical safety measures over obsessing about seat choice:
- Pay attention to safety briefings for instructions on seatbelts, brace positions, and evacuation routes.
- Count rows to the nearest exit, crucial in low-visibility scenarios like smoke-filled cabins.
- Stay buckled up to reduce injury risk from turbulence, the leading cause of in-flight injuries.
- Follow crew instructions and leave belongings behind during evacuations, as seen in the successful Japan Airlines evacuation in January 2024.
Modern plane designs, including fire suppression systems, less flammable materials, and improved exit access, enhance survivability overall. Flying remains statistically safe, with only one accident per 880,000 flights in 2024, per the International Air Transport Association.