Can you survive a plane crash? Experts weigh in
By
Maan
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The thought of surviving a plane crash seems almost impossible, but experts suggest that certain factors could dramatically increase your chances of survival.
While some might think it’s purely a matter of luck, the science behind it reveals a few surprising details that could save lives.
From seat positioning to how the crash unfolds, the truth is more complex than you might expect.
In the wake of catastrophic plane crashes, survival rates have baffled experts.
Although rare, the probability of surviving an aviation disaster was reportedly higher for passengers seated in the rear of the aircraft.
In the past 80 years, only 18 fatal flights carrying at least 80 passengers left survivors behind.
But what factors contributed to those rare survivors managing to live through such catastrophic events?
Barbara Dunn, the president of the International Society of Air Safety Investigators, explained that survival in such situations could be attributed to various factors.
'There are a lot of reasons someone may survive in what appears to be a totally unsurvivable situation,' she said.
She went on to note that a passenger's seat placement and the way the aircraft lands could influence their survival chances.
'If you have your seatbelt tightened, it limits the amount of flailing the body goes through. It also depends on whether the passenger is able to assume a brace position,' Dunn continued.
In late December 2024, several disturbing aviation accidents occurred worldwide. One of the most tragic was the crash of a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800.
On December 29, Flight 2216, carrying 181 passengers, crash-landed at Muan International Airport in South Korea.
Tragically, all aboard perished—except for two survivors who were seated at the very back of the plane.
The pair of survivors—two flight attendants—had endured significant injuries but were miraculously alive.
Both had been near the plane's tail, which had torn apart during the disaster.
The man sustained fractures to his left side and spinal injuries, while the woman fractured her right ankle, but they were both conscious and able to communicate while recovering in Seoul.
Just a few days earlier, another devastating plane disaster struck when an Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 was shot down near Aktau, Kazakhstan.
The crash of Flight 8243 left 29 survivors, all of whom had been seated in the rear of the aircraft.
Though rear seating was deemed safer, several factors played a role in survival.
'A lot of people think it's safer in the back than in the front,' Dunn remarked. 'Not necessarily.'
The way a plane touches down was another critical factor.
Passengers seated at the front of a nose-first crash were often more susceptible to the impact forces.
'How quick the fire takes over and how quick you can get to an exit, all those things matter as well,' Dunn added.
Experts examined five main factors to assess survival chances in crashes:
The integrity of the aircraft, the effectiveness of safety restraints, the G-forces experienced, the environment inside the aircraft, and post-crash conditions such as fire or smoke.
In January 2024, passengers on a Japan Airlines flight experienced extreme terror as a fire spread through the back of the plane.
This occurred following a collision during landing at Tokyo's Haneda Airport.
Passengers faced an agonising wait as the plane’s door failed to open, but all 367 passengers were eventually evacuated before the Airbus A350 collapsed in flames.
Anthony T. Brickhouse, an expert in aerospace safety, shared: 'When you hear survivable, you'd think people survived, and when you hear non-survivable, you'd think everybody dies.'
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) defines a crash as ‘survivable’ if the G-forces don’t exceed human tolerance and if the structure of the aircraft remains intact.
‘Unsustainable’ crashes occur when G-forces are too extreme for human survival.
In aviation, G-forces are key to understanding crash survivability. A person can withstand up to 9 G’s in a forward motion before suffering serious harm.
‘The occupants will most likely survive with bumps and bruises,’ said aerospace researcher Thomas Zeidlik.
With modern aircraft designed to endure up to 16 G’s, crashes, in theory, should be survivable in most cases, according to Ed Galea, professor of fire safety engineering.
'The vast majority of aircraft accidents are survivable and the majority of people in accidents survive,' he shared.
A study by the TIME Magazine found the fatality rates based on seat position in commercial crashes.
The rear seats had a fatality rate of 32 per cent, while the front seats had a higher rate of 38 per cent. Galea emphasised, however, that no seat can be guaranteed the safest.
‘There is no magic safest seat,’ he said.
'It depends on the nature of the accident you're in. Sometimes it's better at the front, sometimes at the back.'
The real difference between life and death, Galea argued, isn’t seat position—it’s the ability to evacuate the aircraft quickly.
'The key thing to understand is that in an aviation accident, every second counts—every second can make a difference between life and death.'
In a study of serious crashes, the NTSB found that just over half of the 3,823 passengers involved in these accidents survived.
However, 27 per cent died from blunt-force trauma or the destruction of the cabin, while 4.1 per cent perished from fire or smoke inhalation.
In the case of Northwest Airlines Flight 255, a 1987 crash in Detroit, the disintegration of the plane’s structure made the crash non-survivable.
Yet, one preschooler miraculously survived, though experts acknowledged that luck could have played a role.
The year 2024 marked the deadliest year for commercial aviation since 2018, with a surge in fatalities compared to the prior year. However, as aviation experts continue to refine safety measures, it’s clear that while survival in a plane crash is never guaranteed, there is always a chance.
What’s your take on survival in aviation accidents? Do you believe there's a seat that's truly safer, or is it all about how you respond when things go wrong?
Share your thoughts in the comments below!
While some might think it’s purely a matter of luck, the science behind it reveals a few surprising details that could save lives.
From seat positioning to how the crash unfolds, the truth is more complex than you might expect.
In the wake of catastrophic plane crashes, survival rates have baffled experts.
Although rare, the probability of surviving an aviation disaster was reportedly higher for passengers seated in the rear of the aircraft.
In the past 80 years, only 18 fatal flights carrying at least 80 passengers left survivors behind.
But what factors contributed to those rare survivors managing to live through such catastrophic events?
Barbara Dunn, the president of the International Society of Air Safety Investigators, explained that survival in such situations could be attributed to various factors.
'There are a lot of reasons someone may survive in what appears to be a totally unsurvivable situation,' she said.
She went on to note that a passenger's seat placement and the way the aircraft lands could influence their survival chances.
'If you have your seatbelt tightened, it limits the amount of flailing the body goes through. It also depends on whether the passenger is able to assume a brace position,' Dunn continued.
In late December 2024, several disturbing aviation accidents occurred worldwide. One of the most tragic was the crash of a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800.
On December 29, Flight 2216, carrying 181 passengers, crash-landed at Muan International Airport in South Korea.
Tragically, all aboard perished—except for two survivors who were seated at the very back of the plane.
The pair of survivors—two flight attendants—had endured significant injuries but were miraculously alive.
Both had been near the plane's tail, which had torn apart during the disaster.
The man sustained fractures to his left side and spinal injuries, while the woman fractured her right ankle, but they were both conscious and able to communicate while recovering in Seoul.
Just a few days earlier, another devastating plane disaster struck when an Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 was shot down near Aktau, Kazakhstan.
The crash of Flight 8243 left 29 survivors, all of whom had been seated in the rear of the aircraft.
Though rear seating was deemed safer, several factors played a role in survival.
'A lot of people think it's safer in the back than in the front,' Dunn remarked. 'Not necessarily.'
The way a plane touches down was another critical factor.
Passengers seated at the front of a nose-first crash were often more susceptible to the impact forces.
'How quick the fire takes over and how quick you can get to an exit, all those things matter as well,' Dunn added.
Experts examined five main factors to assess survival chances in crashes:
The integrity of the aircraft, the effectiveness of safety restraints, the G-forces experienced, the environment inside the aircraft, and post-crash conditions such as fire or smoke.
In January 2024, passengers on a Japan Airlines flight experienced extreme terror as a fire spread through the back of the plane.
This occurred following a collision during landing at Tokyo's Haneda Airport.
Passengers faced an agonising wait as the plane’s door failed to open, but all 367 passengers were eventually evacuated before the Airbus A350 collapsed in flames.
Anthony T. Brickhouse, an expert in aerospace safety, shared: 'When you hear survivable, you'd think people survived, and when you hear non-survivable, you'd think everybody dies.'
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) defines a crash as ‘survivable’ if the G-forces don’t exceed human tolerance and if the structure of the aircraft remains intact.
‘Unsustainable’ crashes occur when G-forces are too extreme for human survival.
In aviation, G-forces are key to understanding crash survivability. A person can withstand up to 9 G’s in a forward motion before suffering serious harm.
‘The occupants will most likely survive with bumps and bruises,’ said aerospace researcher Thomas Zeidlik.
With modern aircraft designed to endure up to 16 G’s, crashes, in theory, should be survivable in most cases, according to Ed Galea, professor of fire safety engineering.
'The vast majority of aircraft accidents are survivable and the majority of people in accidents survive,' he shared.
A study by the TIME Magazine found the fatality rates based on seat position in commercial crashes.
The rear seats had a fatality rate of 32 per cent, while the front seats had a higher rate of 38 per cent. Galea emphasised, however, that no seat can be guaranteed the safest.
‘There is no magic safest seat,’ he said.
'It depends on the nature of the accident you're in. Sometimes it's better at the front, sometimes at the back.'
The real difference between life and death, Galea argued, isn’t seat position—it’s the ability to evacuate the aircraft quickly.
'The key thing to understand is that in an aviation accident, every second counts—every second can make a difference between life and death.'
In a study of serious crashes, the NTSB found that just over half of the 3,823 passengers involved in these accidents survived.
However, 27 per cent died from blunt-force trauma or the destruction of the cabin, while 4.1 per cent perished from fire or smoke inhalation.
In the case of Northwest Airlines Flight 255, a 1987 crash in Detroit, the disintegration of the plane’s structure made the crash non-survivable.
Yet, one preschooler miraculously survived, though experts acknowledged that luck could have played a role.
The year 2024 marked the deadliest year for commercial aviation since 2018, with a surge in fatalities compared to the prior year. However, as aviation experts continue to refine safety measures, it’s clear that while survival in a plane crash is never guaranteed, there is always a chance.
Key Takeaways
- Experts agree that survival chances in a plane crash depend on various factors, including seat position, safety restraints, and how the aircraft lands.
- Seat placement may play a role, but there is no 'magic safest seat.' In some cases, rear seating is safer, but other factors, such as the speed of evacuation and fire conditions, are more critical.
- The majority of aircraft accidents are survivable, with most people surviving crashes, but factors like G-forces, the integrity of the aircraft, and the environment inside are essential to survival.
- In rare but significant crashes, such as Jeju Air and Azerbaijan Airlines disasters, survivors often faced severe circumstances, but their survival could be attributed to seat positioning and the ability to escape the wreckage.
What’s your take on survival in aviation accidents? Do you believe there's a seat that's truly safer, or is it all about how you respond when things go wrong?
Share your thoughts in the comments below!