Latest news with #RameshViswashkumar
CNA
2 days ago
- General
- CNA
Air India crash survivor mourns brother killed in the same tragedy during emotional funeral
Ramesh Viswashkumar, the sole survivor of the deadly Air India plane crash, broke down as the body of his brother arrived in his hometown of Diu city, India on Wednesday (Jun 18). Viswashkumar and his brother were on the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for Britain's Gatwick Airport on Jun 12, when the plane began losing altitude seconds after takeoff and crashed, killing over 270 people.
New Straits Times
6 days ago
- General
- New Straits Times
Unpacking the complexities of plane crash survival beyond seat 11A
THE survival of a passenger who escaped through an exit door seconds after his Air India flight crashed, killing everyone else on board, has prompted speculation over whether his seat — 11A — is the safest. Aviation experts say it is not so straightforward because 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. Ramesh Viswashkumar said his 11A seat was near an emergency exit on the London-bound Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner that crashed in Ahmedabad on Thursday, and he managed to walk out. Sitting next to an exit door might help you survive an accident but it won't always be 11A because aircraft can have dozens of different configurations. "In this particular instance, because the passenger was sitting adjacent to the emergency exit, this was obviously the safest seat on the day," said Ron Bartsch, chairman at Sydney-based AvLaw Aviation Consulting. "But it's not always 11A, it's just 11A on this configuration of the Boeing 787." 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. Sitting next to an exit door, like Viswashkumar, gives you an opportunity to be one of the first out of the plane, although some exits don't function after a crash. The opposite side of the plane was blocked by the wall of a building it crashed into, he said. In January last year, a panel missing several bolts blew off the side of a Boeing 737 MAX mid-flight, creating a gaping hole and damaging the adjacent seat. Fortunately, no one was seated there at the time, and the incident resulted in no fatalities. Sitting by the aisle might offer you a speedier escape but it increases the likelihood of being hit in the head by luggage falling out of the overhead bins — a much more common occurrence than major crashes. Paying attention to the safety briefing at the start of your flight — often dismissed as routine — is likely the best way to improve your chances of survival, experts say. Disciplined compliance with cabin crew evacuation advice, including leaving bags behind, was a key factor in saving the lives of all 379 passengers and crew aboard a Japan Airlines flight in January last year. The Airbus A350 aircraft had collided with a Coast Guard plane at Tokyo's Haneda Airport, killing five of the six crew members on the smaller aircraft. Safety briefings typically cover critical instructions such as how to fasten your seatbelt securely, adopt the correct brace position and plan your evacuation route. A common tip is to count the number of rows between your seat and the nearest exit — vital knowledge if the cabin fills with smoke and visibility is low. Despite disasters such as the Air India crash, plane designs have evolved to increase the likelihood of passengers walking away from a rare plane accident, Fox said. These include floor path lighting, fire detection and extinguishers, less flammable cabin materials and improved access to emergency exits. "There have been remarkable advancements in airplane cabin design that have improved the survivability of accidents on or near the ground," Fox added.
Mint
6 days ago
- Business
- Mint
Air India plane crash: How much compensation the lone survivor from Ahmedabad tragedy will receive from airline?
Air India on Saturday announced an interim payment of ₹ 25 lakh each to the next of kin of the passengers who lost their lives in the Ahmedabad plane crash, as well as to the sole survivor - a British national of Indian origin and is being treated in a hospital. "As part of our continued efforts, Air India will be providing an interim payment of ₹ 25 lakh, or approximately £21,000, each to the families of the deceased and to the survivor, to help address immediate financial needs. This is in addition to the ₹ 1 crore, or approximately £85,000, support already announced by Tata Sons," Air India said in a statement posted on X. "Air India stands in solidarity with the families of the passengers who tragically lost their lives in the recent accident. Our teams on the ground are doing everything possible to extend care and support during this incredibly difficult time," the statement added. Screengrab from the post. The compensation from Air India comes in addition to the Tata Group's earlier announcement of ₹ 1 crore to the families of those who lost their lives in the accident on Thursday. The Air India plane crash, which killed 240 passengers, and miraculously left one lone survivor seated in 11A - is being regarded as the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, with 242 people on board, which was headed for Gatwick Airport, south of the British capital, had only one survivor - 40-year-old Ramesh Viswashkumar - after it crashed onto a medical college hostel during lunch hour. The lone survivor of the tragic Air India plane crash that claimed over 240 lives will receive an interim compensation of ₹ 25 lakh (approximately £21,000) from the airline, the company confirmed in a statement. Air India announced the payment as part of its support measures for both the families of the deceased and the sole survivor, aimed at helping them meet immediate financial needs. This interim relief is in addition to the ₹ 1 crore (around £85,000) financial assistance earlier pledged by Tata Sons, the parent company of Air India.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Seat 11A: Is it the safest seat on a plane? Experts say it depends
(NewsNation) — The crash of Air India Flight 171 has travelers worldwide wondering: Are there some seats on a plane that are safer than others, and if so, which seats are they? The crash, which took place shortly after takeoff Thursday from the Ahmedabad airport, killed 241 passengers and crew members. As investigators probe the crash and families mourn those killed, attention has turned to Ramesh Viswashkumar. Viswashkumar, 40, was the only person to survive the crash. The Latest: A single passenger survived the Air India crash, hospital says The British national was in seat 11A at the time of the crash, leading many to wonder if that particular seat is safer than others. The badly injured Viswashkumar struggled Thursday to describe what he experienced as people died in front of his eyes. NBC News reported that Viswashkumar was able to escape from the broken emergency exit door just moments before the fuel-loaded plane exploded in a fireball. 'Emergency door is broken. My seat is broken,' Viswashkumar told DD India in an interview. 'Then I see the space a little bit and I will try to come out.' 'Little bit of fire, after I'm out, then blast.' Air India's sole crash survivor narrates his escape So, is seat 11A the safest in a crash? It depends on multiple factors, according to experts. Seat 11A on a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner is typically located near the front of the Economy Class cabin. Depending on the airliner's configuration, it is a window seat in the first or second row of that cabin. According to The Times in London, seat 11A on Flight 171 was the first economy seat, adjacent to the bulkhead emergency exit. There were seven other emergency exits on the plane. What to know about the Air India plane crash that killed more than 240 people Aviation experts say that determining the safest seats on a plane is not a straightforward task. 'Each accident is different, and it is impossible to predict survivability based on seat location,' Mitchell Fox, a director at Flight Safety Foundation, told Reuters. Ron Bartsch, chairman of the Sydney-based AvLaw Aviation Consulting, told the news agency that seat 11A's location may have made it a safer choice on this particular flight, but that will not always be the case. Sitting next to an emergency exit also does not guarantee survival. Despite seven other emergency exits on Flight 171, there were no other survivors. Air India black box recovered after crash that killed 241 onboard and several others on the ground Emergency exits might not work following a crash, or they might be blocked by debris, experts say. Sitting in an aisle seat could offer a faster escape, but there is the threat of luggage falling into the aisles or hitting survivors as it tumbles from an overhead bin. A 2015 analysis by Time magazine found that passengers in the rear third of an aircraft have a better chance of surviving a lower-impact crash, according to The Times. The front of the plane typically takes the brunt of the impact. Seats near the wings may offer more protection, both because of their proximity to emergency exits and because of the structural reinforcements in that section. Those seats are closer to the fuel tanks, however. Sitting near an emergency exit also comes with added responsibility because passengers in exit row seats are asked to help fellow passengers evacuate the plane in a crisis. A look at previous plane crashes in India Viswashkumar, who was filmed walking away, bloody and bruised, from the crash, never had that chance. Reuters reported that he initially believed that he would perish with his fellow passengers. 'But when I opened my eyes, I realized I was alive, and I tried to unbuckle myself from the seat and escape from where I could. It was in front of my eyes that the air hostess and others (died),' he said. According to Reuters, it is vital for passengers to pay attention to the safety briefings that the cabin crew provides at the start of any flight. Compliance with the crew's instructions is credited with saving the lives of 379 passengers and crew aboard a Japan Airlines flight last year. Along with paying attention to the safety briefing, the Federal Aviation Administration advises that passengers keep their seat belts buckles whenever the seat belt light is lit up. Seat belts, designed to be worn low and tight on the hips, keep passengers safe during takeoff and landing and during instances of air turbulence. Children under 40 pounds should be restrained in an approved child safety seat. Passengers should also follow the airline's carry-on policies to help prevent injuries. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CNBC
13-06-2025
- General
- CNBC
The extraordinary escape of the lone surviving passenger of the Air India crash
The survivor of the Air India Flight 171 crash Thursday revealed he miraculously survived by escaping through a broken emergency exit. There were 242 people on board the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, bound for London, that crashed shortly after takeoff in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, smashing in a fiery blast into a medical college hostel, killing and injuring more people on the ground. The plane crashed into a hostel for the B.J. Medical College and Civil Hospital (BJMC). As a result, four students at BJMC died, six relatives of resident doctors died and 24 are undergoing treatment, the Federation of All India Medical Associations (FAIMA) Doctors Association said Friday. It was the worst aviation disaster in a decade. Ramesh Viswashkumar, 40, was the sole person aboard the doomed flight to survive. "I can't explain. Everything was happening in my eye. I can't explain," Viswashkumar, a British national of Indian origin, told DD News, an Indian state-owned broadcaster Friday. Police said Viswashkumar was in seat 11A, near an emergency exit. Viswashkumar, visibly cut up from the crash, said he was able to escape moments before the blast when the emergency door broke. "Emergency door is broken. My seat is broken. Then I see the space a little bit and I will try to come out," he told DD News. He was able to get out as the aircraft caught fire. "Little bit of fire, after I'm out, then blast," he recalled. Footage of the crash showed a massive ball of fire as the plane's full fuel tanks exploded, filling the sky with thick black smoke. Survivability is "extremely limited" in plane crashes like the one that happened in Ahmedabad yesterday, said Trevor Bock, a safety consultant at Aviation Safety Asia. A large, heavy aircraft will be torn apart by the enormous amount of energy it carries as the plane hits the ground, he said. "We're talking thousands of kilograms of weight," adding that the plane, which has just taken off, had "a lot of fuel." Viswashkumar explained that he and his brother had been staying in India for the last eight or nine months and he was bound back home to London, where his family lived. Viswashkumar told Reuters in Hindi that within a minute after takeoff, the plane felt like it came to a standstill in the air and the green and white cabin lights turned on. "I could feel engine thrust increasing to go up but it crashed with speed into the building," he told Reuters. He explained that the side of the plane he was on landed on the ground floor of the hostel. "I could see that there was space outside the aircraft, so when my door broke I tried to escape through a little space and I did. On the opposite side (of plane) was the building wall, so nobody could have escaped. The plane crashed there. There was some space where I landed," he said. "I don't know how I managed to escape. It was in front of my eyes that the air hostess and others (died)," he added. Viswashkumar's left hand was burned. An ambulance took him to a hospital where he remains in recovery. He is "doing well" but "psychologically disturbed" by the event, according to the medical director of the Civil Hospital, where he is being treated. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Viswashkumar in the hospital Friday. Viswashkumar summed up his extraordinary survival in a few words: "It's miracle, everything," he told DD News. Viswashkumar's brother in the United Kingdom told Sky News, NBC News' international partner, that "this is a miracle that he survived." "But what other miracle for my other brother?" he said, referring to their third brother who was on the flight with Viswashkumar. In total, there were 230 passengers and 12 crew members on board, Air India said, and 241 were killed. Among the passengers were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, a Canadian national and seven Portuguese nationals.
