With all the myths out there about where to sit on an airplane, let's explore what really is the safest place to sit in the event of an accident. Many insist on the exit row, because they think it will be easiest to get out. Others subscribe to the “sit over the wings” theory because they assume that portion of the plane is the most stable in a crash. Others say they just “feel” safer sitting in the front of the plane, presumably because they are closest to trained flying professionals.

"One seat's as safe as another." Boeing website

This sentiment by Boeing is seemingly echoed throughout the airline industry and people tend to take it at face value. However, taking a look at airplane crash statistics shows us otherwise, and just might influence where you click when you get to the screen with the seat map.

Where Should I Sit?

A study done by Popular Mechanics in July of 2007 determined that you are significantly more likely to survive a plane crash sitting in the last few rows of a plane than the first few rows. They studied every commercial plane crash in the United States since 1971 that had both fatalities and survivors. This came to a total of 20 flights where seating charts were available and studied.

In 11 of the 20 crashes, the passengers in the rear of the plane faired better than those in the front. Just five of the accidents studied favored those towards the front of the plane. Several were tossups with no statistical advantage on way or the other, while one flight did not have an accurate seating chart.

There are a few prime examples of the rear seating advantage:

• A United DC-8 crashed near Portland, Oregon in 1978. Seven passengers died, and all were sitting in the first four rows.

• Air Florida- a flight crashed near Washington DC in 1982. The small number of survivors of this crash were all sitting in the last few rows of the plane.

• Eastern 727- one of these crashed at New York's JKF airport in 1972. Similar to the Air Florida crash, the handful of survivors were all sitting in the very rear of the aircraft.

There has only been one crash in which the front of the plane seemed a favorable place to be. In 1989 a US Air Boeing 737 had a runway accident at New York's LaGuardia airport. Two passengers died in the crash, and both were sitting in row 21 of the 25 row plane.

Looking at a 37 row airplane, the study found some striking statistics to back up their suspicions. Check out the seating chart below to see for yourself. The percentages beneath each section are the odds of surviving a crash based on the survival rates of the crashes studied.

 

Diagram source: www.seatguru.com
Percentages calculated by: www.popularmechanics.com

The odds of surviving a plane crash get measurably better as you move toward the back of the aircraft. So next time you are selecting your seat on a flight and initially think how much you hate sitting in the back of the plane, pick that seat in the last few rows, enjoy getting your beverage first, and smile knowing you are the safest one on the plane.