Where Is the Safest Place to Sit on a Plane? Experts Answer
An airplane aisle providing a view of passengers in their seats. Credit - Constantine Johnny—Getty Images
It's the age-old question of passengers—where is the safest place one can sit on a plane? While people often prioritize leg-room or proximity to the bathroom when it comes to air travel, others may think a little more deeply when it comes to their seat selection.
This rings especially true when you consider how one man—Viswashkumar Ramesh—was the sole survivor of an Air India flight crash that resulted in the deaths of the other 241 people on board.
Ramesh, who was travelling with his brother, was seated in 11a on the journey from Ahmedabad to London.
His survival has reignited conversations about air travel and seat selections.
The general consensus has been that sitting in the middle or at the rear of a plane is statistically safer. A 2017 National Transportation Safety Board study that investigated 20 plane crashes since 1971 found that those sitting in the back of the plane had a higher chance of staying alive than those in the front. Additionally, those placed nearby the wing also had a better chances of survival.
Meanwhile, a study conducted by TIME in 2015 found that the middle seats in the back of the aircraft were those with the lowest fatality rates, the worst-faring seats were on the aisle in the middle third of the cabin.
Read More: What to Know About the Air India Crash and the 'Miracle' of Its Sole Survivor
But how does that account for Ramesh sitting near the front of the plane and being the sole survivor?
Steve Wright, a former systems and software engineer in the commercial aerospace industry and a former associate professor of avionics and aircraft systems at UWE Bristol, has often pondered on the "safest seat" question.
For Wright, the Air India survival story was 'unusual' for a number of reasons. He says that although sitting towards the front of an aircraft can typically be 'dodgy' in terms of survival chances, the accident in India was 'atypical.'
'When an aircraft goes [down], it's usually nose first, which is, of course, why seat 11a would be [among] the first to [feel the impact],' Wright says. But the Air India flight 'sunk' into the ground with 'the nose up.' Wright attributes Ramesh's survival to being 'ironically, partly because he was at the front.'
Whereas the traditional instances where a plane goes nose first, the front of the airplane is known to act "as a shock absorber," according to John Hansman, an aeronautics and astronautics professor at MIT.
Wright says usually, though, the safest place on the airplane is near the wings of the plane, where there is more 'structural support' to protect a passenger in case of an emergency.
Jim Braucle, an aviation attorney with Motley Rice Law firm, says that from diagrams he has seen, Ramesh's seat was right next to an emergency exit and in front of the plane's wing. This seat, next to a window, was just behind the business class section on the Boeing 787.
'Structurally on the airplane, the strongest part is obviously where the wings come in,' Braucle says. 'And he was close to an exit—I know he didn't exit because he was behind some rubble, but those areas are reinforced so that, in the case of an accident, the door doesn't get deformed, so people can escape.'
In an exit row, Braucle says, the additional space provided could save lives, as well. 'As stuff starts collapsing and falling or people fall back in their seats... I know it's not much, but I think those inches count,' he notes.
In agreement, Wright points out that being near an emergency exit is pertinent, considering most emergencies he knows of are not related to crashes, but rather the result of incidents on the tarmac.
'The most likely danger you will [face] on an aircraft is on the tarmac when something has gone wrong, potentially a fire,' Wright says. 'It kind of doesn't matter which exit it is, in that sense, but essentially, you want to get off that plane as quickly as possible.'
Read More: Boeing's 787 Dreamliner Has a Long History of Safety Concerns
Wright also argues that though life vests are mandated on aircrafts, smoke hoods should also be included, to protect passengers in the event of an emergency.
Mary Schiavo, an aviation lawyer and the former Inspector General of the Department of Transportation, says that after years of working with people who have survived plane crashes—and after writing a book on how to fly safe—she now always attempts to get a seat in the exit row.
She also makes an effort to have a smoke hood as part of her carry-on, and tries to wear long sleeves and pants.
'The people I've worked with who have had to fight their way out of plane crashes have said they wish they had more protection on,' she explains.
Schiavo always makes sure she knows how to open the emergency door of the plane, taking into account that different aircraft may have varying emergency exit mechanisms. If she cannot get a seat in an exit row, she tries to get a seat in the immediate rows behind, since her studies have shown that in the event of an emergency, passengers will push forward towards an exit.
'If you do sit in an exit row, you need to take it seriously,' Schiavo says, emphasizing that being able to reach an exit or find your way through a crack during an emergency can make all the difference.
Every airplane emergency, though, unfolds differently.
If Ramesh's story shows anything, it is that survival in a plane crash can be less about where one sits, and more about how exactly the plane crashes—something no passenger can predict.
Should a door get ripped off mid-flight, the exit row might not be as safe of a place as previously described. What's safest in this instance is different from what would be safest in an emergency water landing.
This is why the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) advises passengers to listen to their crew and pilot, and in the case of an emergency, locate and utilize exit rows. Passengers should also take the time to review and familiarize themselves with the passenger safety cards before takeoff.
Contact us at letters@time.com.
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