A pilot has revealed the safest place to sit on a plane if it crashes, and the answer will blow your mind. Travel experts at Ski Vertigo analysed decades of aviation accident data to understand the spot on the plane with the best survival chances.
According to the analysis, a traveller should aim for the rear middle seats as they could offer the best chance of walking away in the event of a crash. The data from 17 major commercial airline crashes between 1985 and 2000 mapped out where passengers sat and who survived. The rear middle seats had a fatality rate of just 28% as compared to the other seating arrangements. Alex Dyer, lead aviation researcher at Ski Vertigo said: “When planes crash nose-first, the tail section tends to remain more intact. That gives passengers seated at the back a higher chance of survival.”
The travel experts also analysed data from 105 crashes worldwide, combining it with feedback from 2,000 survivors.
They shared that proximity to an emergency exit had a higher survival rate. If you are sitting within five rows of an exit, one has a significantly higher survival rate
And if you are sitting beyond six rows, then the survival odds dropped sharply, the data has revealed.
Mr Dyer explained: “In the event of fire or water impact, seconds matter. Being near an exit can mean the difference between getting out and getting stuck.”
However, even after observing the trend, the expert highlighted that there is no perfect seat. They said no seat offers guaranteed protection. Variables like the crash angle, speed, and where the plane lands all affect survival outcomes.
Mid-cabin aisle seats had the highest fatality rate at 44%, potentially due to flying debris or delayed evacuations.