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The Safest Seat on a Plane

Posted on 22. Feb, 2010 by Admin in Uncategorized

A study conducted by Popular Mechanics in 2007 showed that passengers who were seated in the rear of a plane had a 40% greater chance of surviving a crash than those seated up front. This article also mentions, though, that the FAA and Boeing both state that there is no such thing as a “safest seat”. The article is flawed in that it only studied 20 aircraft crashes and did not take into account subsequent safety developments. Even so, it should be noted that the flight data recorder (which is used to provide information in the even of a crash) is located in the tail section of planes. The reason for this is that the recorder is more likely to survive, in the event of a severe plane crash, if it’s mounted in the rear of the plane.

1972 Crash Survivor
Even though there is no statistical evidence that points to the rear of an aircraft as the safest part of the plane, a passenger who survived a 1972 Andes crash had something interesting to say, regarding his survival. While speaking in a 1973 interview, he noted that he had a strange feeling that there was going to be an accident – which led him to attempt to secure a seat in the rear of the aircraft. After being informed by the aircraft crew that all of the seats in the rear of the plane were taken, he moved to the middle of the plane. In the ensuing accident, the plane’s tail section became detached and his life was saved by not sitting in the rear of the aircraft.

2008 Crash Survivor
In other interviews, a survivor (one of only a few to survive) of a Madrid crash, in 2008, noted that because she was seated in row #6, she was thrown to safety since she was in the exact spot where the plane was torn into two pieces. From these statements, it can be concluded that the best location to be seated in an aircraft accident is directly related to the accident, itself, and that there is no general “safe place to sit’.

Please note that this article is for informational purposes only and is not intended as legal advice.

You can find further detailed information by contacting aviation disaster attorney Chris Searcy – located in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Tags: air safety, aircraft ac, aviation disaster attorney