How ‘most hated’ seat 11A became a miracle one for lone survivor of Air India aircraft crash

Name it destiny. Or a wierd twist of luck.

Seat 11A, often the final choose for many air travellers, ended up being the one factor that saved a person’s life in one in every of India’s deadliest aviation disasters.

On June 12, Air India Flight AI171 took off from Ahmedabad for London. However simply minutes after takeoff, the aircraft despatched out a ‘Mayday’ name, misplaced contact with air site visitors management, and crashed past the airport perimeter, killing 241 of the 242 individuals on board.

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Just one man survived. Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, a British-Indian man, who miraculously walked away alive from the wreckage, thanks, it appears, to the very seat that the majority passengers attempt to keep away from.

However why is 11A the ‘most hated’ seat?

Seat 11A has lengthy carried a foul rep amongst frequent flyers—and for good cause.

In accordance with flight attendants at American Airways, seats 11A and 11F are ones passengers typically grumble about. Chatting with The Solar final yr, they defined that travellers in these seats often find yourself being the final to deboard, since they’re positioned proper in the midst of the plane.

“If you happen to’re on the lookout for a fast exit, keep away from row 11 in any respect prices,” they mentioned.

And that’s not the one draw back. Experiences recommend that this row can also be identified for being noisier, extra uncovered to foot site visitors, and topic to colder drafts. All of those elements make 11A a less-than-ideal spot, particularly on long-haul flights.

However maybe what passengers dislike most is the truth that 11A is commonly dubbed the “window seat with no window.”

Due to the position of inner elements like air-con ducts or structural reinforcements, sure seats, particularly these across the wings, like 9A, 10A, 11A and 12A, typically don’t have home windows in any respect. It’s a quirk notably frequent on Boeing 737 plane.

The consequence? Disillusioned passengers who booked a window seat solely to discover a clean wall subsequent to them.

Over time, seat 11A has gained infamy on-line because the “windowless window seat,” with many travellers sharing their frustration.

However this very seat, mocked and prevented by many, could have performed a life-saving position. Since Vishwas Ramesh’s miraculous survival was linked to 11A, individuals are actually questioning if the seat deserves a brand new identify: the “Miracle Seat.”

How Seat 11A grew to become Vishwas’s ’fortunate allure’

Talking from his hospital mattress, Vishwas Ramesh recalled the surreal second he realised he was nonetheless alive after the Air India crash.

“I’ve no concept how I survived. For some time, I assumed I used to be dying too. However after I opened my eyes, I attempted to get out. I noticed the gate was damaged and there was a small hole—I jumped by it,” he informed DD Information, nonetheless visibly shaken.

In accordance with NDTV, which analysed the seating structure of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, Ramesh’s seat 11A was positioned within the first row of the financial system part, simply behind enterprise class and near the left-side emergency exits.

That positioning could have made all of the distinction.

When the aircraft went down, the front-left part of the plane, the place seat 11A is positioned, crashed into the bottom ground of the constructing it struck. The higher ranges, in the meantime, took the brunt of the affect and hearth. That meant Ramesh’s a part of the fuselage remained considerably intact, giving him a sliver of an opportunity.

“The facet the place I used to be seated fell into the bottom ground of the constructing,” he mentioned. “There was some area. When the door broke, I noticed that area and I simply jumped out.”

He believes the emergency door gave manner through the crash. “The door should’ve damaged on affect. There was a wall on the other facet, however close to me, it was open. I ran. I don’t know the way.”

He’s now beneath 24/7 statement in mattress 11 of Ward B7 at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, guarded by each the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad and town crime department.

On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the hospital to satisfy him personally.

Vishwas, who grew up in India earlier than shifting to the UK, was travelling again house along with his brother Ajay, who didn’t survive the crash.

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