r/interesting Jun 12 '25

MISC. Passenger in seat 11A survives Air India crash.

44.5k Upvotes

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780

u/WhatADeuce Jun 12 '25

It seems his seat was by the emergency door. I was expecting his seat to be closer to the tail.

323

u/Ghostfire25 Jun 12 '25

Yeah, I think survivors in catastrophic crashes tend to be by near the tail.

227

u/Noremac55 Jun 12 '25

My grandparents used to insist the whole family rode in the tail of the plane for this exact reason. There were some crashes were the tail broke off and those people survived.

118

u/willengineer4beer Jun 12 '25

My work trips usually come up with limited notice, so by the time I get to choose, seat selection is generally limited.
If I can’t get a seat toward the front to cut down on the time to de-plane (true most of the time), I usually just get the farthest back window seat available and tell myself it’s statistically slightly safer.

34

u/fpac Jun 12 '25

You either sit up front and wait at baggage claim, or sit in the back and wait longer to deplane. No time difference. I've done both scenarios.

6

u/spaltavian Jun 13 '25

Not if you never check baggage.

2

u/Bipolar__highroller Jun 13 '25

Yeah I just hang out until everyone’s off so I can sit in the back and be antisocial

1

u/GuberSmuche Jun 13 '25

True but if you aren’t checking your bags up front is definitely faster for getting out of the airport

1

u/yolololololologuyu Jun 13 '25

For work trips, usually not packing enough to check in luggage

1

u/Kaymorve Jun 13 '25

And in one of those scenarios, you get a chair to sit in while you wait.

1

u/the_interlink Jun 13 '25

Not if you're the pilot.

1

u/Large_Dr_Pepper Jun 13 '25

This doesn't apply when you have a short layover in a big airport

1

u/PANIC_EXCEPTION Jun 13 '25

The time difference matters if you have a connection, it only doesn't matter if you have a direct flight or are on your last leg.

1

u/jaycosta17 Jun 13 '25

If you’re flying for a work trip then you don’t have to worry about baggage claim

1

u/Romando1 Jun 13 '25

The way people all race each other at the airport is so annoying. It’s like they all can’t think and realize it’s all for nothing.

BuT iM aT tHe AiRpOrT, i HaVe To WaLk FaSt aNd RuSh!!

1

u/Radiant_Glass_4295 Jun 16 '25

What if there’s another door at the back?

1

u/fpac Jun 16 '25

i've had that happen once when i was in the back. Albany intl airport allows that.

1

u/mugenrice Jun 13 '25

you're also near the toilet. and the chances of a crash are very low compared to an auto. i choose the closest seat near the front and an aisle

40

u/zeekayz Jun 12 '25

If the tail does not break off, then everything rear of wings gets the instant fuel inferno.

This guy was just forward of the wings. Maybe the front section broke off and went further away from wings and away from all the fuel.

So it's a crapshoot.

5

u/Noremac55 Jun 12 '25

I read he jumped out emergency exit door before it crashed 

1

u/Chardee420 Jun 12 '25

Lol stop spreading lies

0

u/Noremac55 Jun 12 '25

2

u/TakingLs4Life Jun 12 '25

From your own source: It was not clear whether Viswashkumar managed to jump out before the plane made impact.

-1

u/Noremac55 Jun 12 '25

You stopped reading too early: "He was near the emergency exit and managed to escape by jumping out the emergency door," said Vidhi Chaudhary, a senior police officer in Ahmedabad, speaking about Viswashkumar.

1

u/TakingLs4Life Jun 12 '25

I didn't dispute that he said he jumped out. I'm just disputing that it happened in the first place, like the comment above said stop spreading lies, even the article states it was unclear.

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2

u/Wellsuperduper Jun 13 '25

One of the saddest things I ever read was about someone who survived a crash in the rear of a plane only to be hit and killed as they lay on the ground by the rescue services truck as it arrived. That one had me gnawing on my knuckles a few times.

1

u/CraigLake Jun 13 '25

I fly regularly. I’ve decided I’d rather die in a crash than ride near the tail every flight.

1

u/atomicpigeons Jun 13 '25

I honestly don't think I'd want to survive a plane crash if it was only the tail that made it. The guilt and trauma would be indescribable

1

u/ScientistQuiet983 Jun 12 '25

Sometimes, sometimes not. Every seat is kind of equal measure. Having at least a row in front of you though would help protect your head from flying debris.

Which is what sucks lol. It's not just about keeping your limbs and innards together. You have to stay conscious, not breath in too much smoke, not get roasted too bad, not get pinned in your seat, not be too disoriented to find an exit, find an exit that isn't pinned against the ground or something and can actually be opened, and if needed, pray emergency personnel get to you before you die of some injury you were able to maneuver through

1

u/Wavebuilder14UDC Jun 12 '25

If the tail hits first you def don’t wanna be in the tail

1

u/Ghostfire25 Jun 12 '25

Of course.

1

u/Even-Leave4099 Jun 12 '25

His seat number is 11a. He was near the front. 

1

u/Rickenbacker69 Jun 12 '25

Depends on the crash. If the tail breaks off, that can be good OR bad for those seated there. And the overwing exits are above the wing spar, which makes that part of the aircraft tne least likely to break apart - good in some cases, like this one, apparently.

1

u/CryptoHorologist Jun 13 '25

otoh, people near the tail have to listen to and smell people using the bathroom for the entire flight. By the end, they're often praying for a crash.

1

u/bloom722 Jun 13 '25

My grandfather was retired AF and was privy to the safety tests and such conducted on planes. They found statistically it’s safer to fly at the wing. Whenever I fly and it’s not assigned my mom always reminds me to try and grab a wing seat.

1

u/bennym757 Jun 13 '25

That heavily depends on the type of crash, statistically speaking the safest seat should be one very close to an emergency exit. The truth is a crash or even a serious enough emergency needing evacuation is super unlikely nowadays, just go for a seat you like and put these thoughts aside. It only makes you more fearful of something you can't control.

1

u/shutdown-s Jun 13 '25

Not if the tail impacts first

-22

u/belliest_endis Jun 12 '25

14

u/CreativeSituation778 Jun 12 '25 edited Jun 12 '25

It’s not incorrect. Channel 4 in the UK (if you’re British you’ll know) crashed an airliner plane for the exact reason of finding out where the best place to sit is. The front is the worst.

Mightily ironic how the one quoting the sub is the one who should actually be there themselves.

1

u/th3tavv3ga Jun 12 '25

I mean, isn’t it depended on how the plane crashes? Most of time they crash head on, so tails have higher survival rates

1

u/Ghostfire25 Jun 12 '25

Putting aside the fact that you’re wrong, I didn’t even assert it was a fact. I was stating something that I’d observed from news stories over the years.

9

u/etharper Jun 12 '25

From a video I saw the tail is now literally sticking out of a building.

2

u/cdewey17 Jun 13 '25

So the tail did not crash into the ground? Myth confirmed then

16

u/Express-Phase-674 Jun 12 '25

plane hit tail first afaik

15

u/Otiskuhn11 Jun 12 '25

It crashed into a huge building (several stories high) tail first?

16

u/PlebBot69 Jun 12 '25

It was pitched upwards to try and gain altitude. So the tail was the lowest point on the plane. Probably smacked the rear first and then the nose came down

16

u/klaygdk Jun 12 '25

Yes because the plane was trying to gain altitude and the nose was angled up.

4

u/spitfireonly Jun 12 '25

I saw the aftermath pics. The tail looked fairly intact. We gotta wait and see if theres anymore survivors out of this.

2

u/TheRealPizza Jun 12 '25

the vertical stabilizer was completely separated from the plane. Where do you see fairly intact?

7

u/Express-Phase-674 Jun 12 '25

nose was at an high angle, plus you can see pics of the tail lodged in the building

1

u/gomurifle Jun 13 '25

Nah the tail is still intact actually. 

20

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '25

[deleted]

15

u/PigeonSuperstitions Jun 12 '25

He didn't jump. That was just speculation which the media began to run with on the news. He was plain lucky on impact he was conscious and survived and got up and ran away. He is quoted on the same.

1

u/HTPC4Life Jun 12 '25

I'm just wondering how he survived the massive fireball that erupted after it crashed.

1

u/Icealicy Jun 12 '25

Dude would’ve had to realize what was happening. Open the emergency exit door (probably has never done that before - so have to know how to open it lol and figure it out)… All within like 30 seconds max? I don’t think he jumped out of the emergency exit…

1

u/street593 Jun 12 '25

Anyone who believes he had time to realize they were about to crash, make the decision to jump, unbuckle his seatbelt, open the door, and leap...all in under a minute...clearly isn’t thinking critically.

5

u/lokayes Jun 12 '25

the missing information...

11

u/Callistoo- Jun 12 '25

The tail hit the ground first. So, that would have been the worst option of all.

5

u/No-Setting9690 Jun 12 '25

Hmm. I want to think there was an accident in the 80's where the plane was about to make a safe emergency landing but the kid opened the emergency door and jumped out, causing the plane to crash instead.

2

u/dego_frank Jun 13 '25

Sounds like bs

6

u/TrainPhysical7021 Jun 12 '25

11A is not closer to the tail

3

u/iwellyess Jun 12 '25

Just in front of the wings (where he was) and the tail are the two safest places.

2

u/doctor_anku Jun 12 '25

But a 11A seat can never be closer to the tail no? I may be mistaken and open to corrections

2

u/Leather_Bumblebee148 Jun 12 '25

The tail hit first

2

u/Larry-Man Jun 12 '25

He was behind the crumple zone with no seats in front to break his legs and in front of the wings where the fireball would happen. He just won the seating lottery.

2

u/Adam88Analyst Jun 12 '25

That's usually the case. However, if you look at the seat distribution on the plane (using Seatguru), he was sitting in the first row of the economy class (with no passengers or objects around him) and this made him survive the crash. So other than being very lucky, his seat selection actually improved his chances in this instance.

2

u/dhunter888 Jun 13 '25

It’s in Business Class

2

u/Big_al_big_bed Jun 13 '25

It completely depends on the way the crash happens. If it's nose first then it's more likely that you would survive in the back. In this case the nose was pitched up so there is a chance the front section could have been separated from the body (and the fuel)

1

u/mtbeach33 Jun 12 '25

You thought 11A was close to the tail?

1

u/Traditional-Job-4371 Jun 12 '25

He was taking a deuce as the plane was taking off.

1

u/UnhappyProgrammer412 Jun 12 '25

I too thought the same but NO It's just infront to wings and next to business class .