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Does sitting in the rear increase survival in plane accidents?

Kamrul  Ahsan

Kamrul Ahsan

Mon, 6 Jan 25

Between December 25 and January 5, at least six plane crashes occurred, resulting in the loss of at least 221 lives. Notably, on December 25, an Azerbaijan Airlines flight crashed in Grozny, Chechnya, and on December 29, a plane crashed at a South Korean airport with 181 passengers onboard. These incidents have sparked renewed discussions about passenger aircraft safety. In the South Korean airport crash, only two of the 181 passengers survived. Fortunately, in the Azerbaijan Airlines crash, 29 out of 67 passengers survived. On January 29, a plane crashed into the sea in the UAE, killing both the pilot and co-pilot.

Most recently, on January 2, a small plane crashed on top of a commercial building in California, USA, resulting in at least two deaths and 18 injuries. These incidents have reignited debates on aircraft safety, as well as research on survival rates in plane crashes. A report published by CNN states that passengers sitting in the rear seats have a higher chance of survival. In the Azerbaijan Airlines crash, all survivors were seated in the back of the plane. Similarly, in the South Korean airport crash, both of the survivors were seated in the rear section of the aircraft.

In 2015, Time Magazine reported that between 1985 and 2000, data from all plane crashes in the United States showed that the death rate in the rear third of the plane was 32 per cent, while it was 39 per cent in the middle section and 38 per cent in the front. According to aviation safety experts, the idea that the rear seats are safer is an old saying. In reality, a passenger's chance of survival after a plane crash depends on the type of accident. There are instances where all passengers die in a crash, while at other times, all passengers survive.

“There isn’t any data that shows a correlation of seating to survivability,” says Hassan Shahidi, president of the Flight Safety Foundation. “Every accident is different.”
“If we’re talking about a fatal crash, then there is almost no difference where one sits,” says Cheng-Lung Wu, associate professor at the School of Aviation of the University of New South Wales, Sydney.
Ed Galea, professor of fire safety engineering at London’s University of Greenwich, who has conducted landmark studies on plane crash evacuations, warns, “There is no magic safest seat.”
“It depends on the nature of the accident you’re in. Sometimes it’s better at the front, sometimes at the back.”


Sometimes the front is safer, and sometimes the back. It depends on the type of accident you're involved in. In some cases, the front is better, and in others, the back is. Despite what Gallia or others may say, many people believe that the seat does indeed increase the chances of survival. This is because how quickly you can escape from the wrecked plane and avoid the initial impact depends on several factors. During a plane crash, every second counts.

The most important point is that if the plane is not completely destroyed, the majority of passengers survive most accidents. The seat configuration, the structure of the aircraft, and the effectiveness of emergency procedures all significantly increase the chances of surviving even a small accident. Compared to the number of flights, airplane accidents are very rare. Currently, there are about 16 million flights operating worldwide every year, with only one or two major accidents occurring annually. Aviation safety experts have stated that the safety standards of today have improved significantly compared to the last 20 years.

However, most accidents today happen due to minor pilot errors or weather conditions, rather than mechanical failures. For example, the plane crash at the South Korean airport was caused by a bird strike, while the initial cause of the Azerbaijan Airlines crash was also attributed to a bird strike, though some believe the aircraft was shot down by Russian soldiers.

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