A former air safety investigator has disclosed the safest place to sit on an aircraft.

Most passengers select their plane seats based on comfort, legroom, or how swiftly they can disembark upon arrival. However, Gregory Feith, who formerly served as an investigator for the US National Transportation Safety Board, has offered several crucial insights that might alter how you choose your seat on your next flight.

The legend of seat 11A started gaining traction last year, following Ramesh Viswash Kumar’s survival of the Air India disaster. The London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner went down moments after takeoff, claiming the lives of everyone else aboard.

Ramesh, though, emerged from the wreckage practically unharmed. He had been occupying seat 11A, prompting many to proclaim it the safest.

Nevertheless, aviation specialists have been swift to highlight that identifying the safest seat isn’t straightforward. Aircraft configurations differ considerably, and survival generally hinges on a complicated mix of factors.

“Each accident is different, and it is impossible to predict survivability based on seat location,” Mitchell Fox, a director at the Flight Safety Foundation, a US-based nonprofit, said.

According to Gregory, being positioned beside an exit door could improve a person’s survival prospects in a crash. Yet experts emphasise that the specific seat number, such as 11A, isn’t necessarily the safest, as aircraft can feature multiple layouts, so 11A might actually be far from an exit door.

“The best place to sit is where you can access an exit, over the wings or in proximity to either the forward exit or the rear exit,” Gregory said during an interview on WIRED’s YouTube channel.

He is a firm proponent of a straightforward strategy. “Count the seats between the exit in front of you and the exits behind you,” he recommends.

The rationale, Gregory outlined, is that during a severe emergency, you cannot depend on adequate lighting, unobstructed passageways, or even remaining upright. “Airplane crashes, unfortunately, don’t occur where the airplane is upright,” he said. “It could be upside down. It could be at night. It could be on fire. You may not be able to stand up. You may have to crawl. Knowing your position in relation to the closest exit is your best bet.”

Whilst this may prove challenging for some passengers, it’s important to maintain perspective about your concerns. Commercial aviation remains remarkably safe.

MIT research revealed the likelihood of a fatality from commercial air travel stood at approximately 1 per 13.7 million passenger boardings worldwide between 2018 and 2022. That puts the likelihood of a fatal outcome on any individual flight at minuscule levels, approximately 0.000007% per boarding, whilst the chances of being struck by lightning are estimated at around 1 in 15,300.

Put simply, you’re more likely to be struck by lightning than experience a fatal plane crash.

A spokesperson for travel expert Ski Vertigo said: “Plane crashes are very rare, but it is still worth staying aware of your surroundings, especially when you travel. That applies at the airport, on the aircraft, and when you arrive at your destination. Taking a moment to look around, knowing where the exits are, and having a simple plan for unexpected situations can be genuinely reassuring and helpful in the event of an emergency.”