The man who walked away from the Air India aircraft crash because the catastrophe’s solely survivor was sitting close to an emergency exit on the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner because it took off from Ahmedabad, India, on its solution to London on Thursday. His seat was 11A.
The seat is on the left aspect of the plane when going through the cockpit. The person, 40-year-old British nationwide Viswash Kumar Ramesh, mentioned the aircraft crash-landed on the bottom flooring of a constructing the place medical college students lived. Ramesh mentioned he opened his eyes, realizing he was alive, and unfastened his seat belt earlier than forcing himself out of the plane — escaping with a burnt hand.
“I could see there was space outside the aircraft, so when my door broke I tried to escape through a little space and I did,” he mentioned from his hospital mattress.
An infographic exhibits the place Ramesh was seated. The picture exhibits seat 11A was close to the entrance of the aircraft, with some open area proper in entrance of it.
Nicholas Shearman/AFP/Getty Pictures
Ron Bartsch, chairman on the Sydney-based AvLaw Aviation Consulting, instructed the Reuters information company that seat 11A “was obviously the safest seat” on this explicit occasion as a result of Ramesh was sitting adjoining to the emergency exit.
“But it’s not always 11A, it’s just 11A on this configuration of the Boeing 787,” Bartsch mentioned.
Seat configurations fluctuate relying on the plane, and lots of components are at play in the case of crash survival.
“Each accident is different, and it is impossible to predict survivability based on seat location,” mentioned Mitchell Fox, a director on the U.S.-based nonprofit Flight Security Basis, in response to Reuters.
Ramesh was in shock as he walked away from the crash. He was later taken to a hospital in an ambulance.
Dr. Dhaval Gameti at Ahmedabad’s Civil Hospital instructed The Related Press that Ramesh “was disoriented with multiple injuries all over his body” however that he gave the impression to be “out of danger.”
Indian Ministry of Residence Affairs/AP
contributed to this report.
