<p>London: The survival of a passenger <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/india/gujarat/air-india-plane-crash-found-myself-in-middle-of-dead-bodies-says-lone-survivor-who-defied-death-3583348">who escaped </a>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.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>"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.</p>.Air India plane crash | 11A, the lucky seat!.<p>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.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>"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.</p>.<p>"But it's not always 11A, it's just 11A on this configuration of the Boeing 787."</p>.<p>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.</p>.Vijay Rupani to Sanjay Gandhi: Indian Politicians who lost their lives in plane crashes.<p>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.</p>.<p>In January of 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.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p><strong>SAFETY BRIEFINGS</strong></p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>Safety briefings typically cover critical instructions such as how to fasten your seatbelt securely, adopt the correct brace position and plan your evacuation route.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>These include floor path lighting, fire detection and extinguishers, less flammable cabin materials and improved access to emergency exits.</p>.<p>"There have been remarkable advancements in airplane cabin design that have improved the survivability of accidents on or near the ground," Fox said. </p>
<p>London: The survival of a passenger <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/india/gujarat/air-india-plane-crash-found-myself-in-middle-of-dead-bodies-says-lone-survivor-who-defied-death-3583348">who escaped </a>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.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>"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.</p>.Air India plane crash | 11A, the lucky seat!.<p>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.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>"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.</p>.<p>"But it's not always 11A, it's just 11A on this configuration of the Boeing 787."</p>.<p>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.</p>.Vijay Rupani to Sanjay Gandhi: Indian Politicians who lost their lives in plane crashes.<p>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.</p>.<p>In January of 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.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p><strong>SAFETY BRIEFINGS</strong></p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>Safety briefings typically cover critical instructions such as how to fasten your seatbelt securely, adopt the correct brace position and plan your evacuation route.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>These include floor path lighting, fire detection and extinguishers, less flammable cabin materials and improved access to emergency exits.</p>.<p>"There have been remarkable advancements in airplane cabin design that have improved the survivability of accidents on or near the ground," Fox said. </p>