Safest seat on a plane: Which seat is the safest on an aircraft amid a crash? Check details

Amid the tragic plane crash incidents that stunned the world, people often question themselves which is the safest seat on an aircraft in a situation of a crash landing.

The world witnessed two incidents of plane crashes in December 2024. On December 25, an Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, killing 38 passengers out of the 67 passengers onboard. The crash videos show the survivors coming out of the rear end of the aircraft, which sustained lesser damage. 

On December 29, a Jeju Air flight from Bangkok crashed at the Muan International Airport, South Korea, while executing an emergency landing. The accident killed all 181 passengers on board except for two crew members, among them stationed at the rear end of the aircraft.

However, every situation of an accident is different. The Jeju aircraft was attempting a belly landing when, due to a landing gear failure, it shifted from the runway, slid away, and collided with the airport perimeter wall. 

Over the years, multiple agencies have studied the correlation between seating location and survival rates in aviation accidents. Data shows that the rear end of an aircraft potentially offers a better chance of survival for passengers. 

Is the back seat safer?

According to a Time magazine study in 2015, analysing more than 35 years of accident data, it is seen that fewer deaths occurred in the area of the rear seats. The death rate of people dying sitting in the back seat was 32 per cent, compared to that of the middle seat at 39 per cent, and the front seats at 38 per cent.

According to the news portal News18's report citing an April 2012 incident, a team of television studio members in Mexico simulated an aeroplane crash with a Boeing 727-200 aircraft equipped with crash test dummies and scientific equipment. 

The aircraft was deliberately crashed, and the data revealed that the passengers sitting near the front of the plane were the most vulnerable to the accident. The middle section passengers sustained survivable injuries, and the rear section dummies remained largely intact. This suggests a higher probability of surviving a crash sitting at the rear end of an aircraft.