(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 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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.