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According to a study in case of a crash, the death rate for those seated at the rear seats of the plane was 32 per cent. In the middle seats, the death rate was 39 per cent, and in the front 38 per cent
An aircraft travelling from Bangkok crashed while executing an emergency landing at Muan International Airport in South Korea. (AP File)
Within a week, two tragic plane crashes shook the globe. On December 25, an Azerbaijan Airlines flight crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan. The disaster claimed the lives of 38 of the 67 individuals on board. Videos from the crash site depict survivors crawling from the rear of the plane, which sustained comparatively less damage.
On December 29, a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 travelling from Bangkok crashed while executing an emergency landing at Muan International Airport in South Korea. Tragically, only two of the 181 passengers and crew members are reported to have survived.
The plane, reportedly experiencing landing gear failure, attempted a belly landing. During this emergency manoeuvre, the aircraft veered off the runway and collided with the airport perimeter wall. The two survivors were extracted from the rear section of the plane. This incident suggests a correlation between seating location and survival rates in aviation accidents, with the rear of the aircraft potentially offering a higher chance of survival.
Is the back safer than the middle of the plane?
Most passengers dislike sitting in the last row of a plane, particularly in a middle seat. A 2015 Time magazine study analysing 35 years of accident data might explain why. The study revealed that, in plane crashes, fewer fatalities occurred in the rear seats. The death rate for those seated at the back of the plane was 32 per cent, compared to 39 per cent in the middle and 38 per cent in the front.
Crash test dummies also yielded favourable results
In April 2012, a team of television studios in Mexico simulated an aeroplane crash. A Boeing 727-200, equipped with crash test dummies and scientific equipment, was deliberately crashed. Results indicated that passengers seated near the front of the plane were most vulnerable. In contrast, those seated closer to the wings sustained survivable injuries. The test dummies near the tail section remained largely intact, suggesting a high probability of survival with minimal injuries for passengers in that area.
