Latest news with #Boeing727-200
Indian Express
19 hours ago
- General
- Indian Express
Against all odds — Seat 11A survivor escaped Air India crash from front, not the ‘statistically safer' rear
Vishwaskumar Ramesh, the sole survivor of Thursday's Air India flight 171 crash that killed 241 people, defied all odds to make it out alive. Remarkably, he escaped from the front of the aircraft—an area typically considered less safe than the rear in the event of a crash. Kumar, who is currently recovering from injuries in a local hospital, told DD News — 'The side of the plane I was on landed on the ground next to the hostel. When the door broke, I saw that there was space, and tried to get out. On the opposite side, there was the hostel, and I saw no one could leave from there. There was some space (to exit) only where I was (seated).' Row 11 on Boeing's 787 Dreamliner—the aircraft that crashed into a hostel for medical students in Ahmedabad—is located just behind an exit door on either side, with business class seats positioned ahead. Seat 11A, a window seat, is right next to the exit door, with a cabin crew seat facing it directly in front. 'It all happened before my eyes. I myself can't believe how I escaped alive. For some time, I also thought I'm going to die. However, when my eyes opened, I realised I'm alive. I removed my seat belt and tried to leave the plane. In front of me, an air hostess and some passengers were all dead,' Kumar said in the video interview. A confluence of factors would have resulted in Kumar coming out alive from the crash. Which is the safest seat in an aircraft and would 11A qualify? There is no clear answer. But the tail section is seen to be the safest from a statistical point of view. Kumar was seated just ahead of the wing box area, the projected part of the wing that is structurally stronger than the rest of the aircraft. The wings are loaded with jet fuel and likely exploded on impact. Being ahead by three rows would have helped. By sheer luck, the section of the aircraft where Kumar was seated struck the ground—unlike the tail, which lodged atop the hostel—and somewhat withstood the impact of the explosion. More importantly, an exit door immediately to his left, with open space outside, provided a clear path to escape, according to his testimony. Statistically, the front of the plane—where Kumar escaped from—is considered less safe than the rear. The Time magazine, in a 2015 study, analysed 35 years of crash data up to that year and reported that fewer people who were sitting in the back died in plane crashes. According to the study, seats in the back third of the aircraft had a 32 per cent fatality rate, compared with 39 per cent in the middle third, and 38 per cent in the front third. Looking at row position, the study found that the middle seats in the rear of the aircraft had the best outcomes (28 per cent fatality rate). The worst-faring seats were on the aisle in the middle third of the aircraft cabin (44 per cent fatality rate). In April 2012, a team of television studios staged an airplane crash in Mexico, where a Boeing 727-200 fitted with crash test dummies and other scientific instruments was flown into the ground. The test result showed that passengers at the front of an aircraft would be the ones most at risk in a crash, while those seated closer to the airplane's wings were reported as having suffered survivable injuries. The test dummies near the tail section were largely intact, so most passengers there would have likely walked away without serious injury. Another study, done by American popular science magazine Popular Mechanics in 2007, found that those seated behind the trailing edge of the aircraft wing had a survival rate of 69 per cent. It was 56 per cent for those in the middle section, and 49 per cent for the seats in the front of the plane. These statistical trends are very specific to the circumstances of the crash in question. In some crashes, such as when the tail hits the ground first, fatalities could be higher in the rear of the aircraft. In others, where the front or the middle of the aircraft bears the major brunt of the impact, those in the rear may have a better shot at surviving the accident. It is worth noting that the Time magazine study found that in a number of crashes, survival was random — 'those who perished were scattered irregularly between survivors'. The FAA has consistently stated that there is not any one section of an airplane that is more or less safe than another and that the most important thing passengers can do for their safety on any flight is follow crewmember instructions.
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- General
- Daily Mirror
Actual safest seats to book pinpointed when Boeing deliberately crashed plane
Back in 2012, a film crew carried out a controversial experiment, crashing a Boeing 727-200 on purpose to find out if passengers in certain seats had greater chances of surviving The only passenger who survived Thursday's Air India crash was in seat 11A - and while talking to his family after the tragedy, he admitted he doesn't know how he managed to escape alive. Briton Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, was seen walking away from the site of the crash in Ahmedabad, India, and is now recovering in hospital. His window seat was right next to one of the aircraft's emergency exit. Sharing details of the incident last night, he told a medic that around 30 seconds after take-off there was "a loud noise" before the plane split in two, throwing him out, and crashed. His survival has prompted speculation over whether 11A is the safest seat on a plane in case of an accident - but experts say this is difficult to say as circumstances can change and it's impossible to predict survivability based on seat location. Back in 2012, a team working on a documentary carried out a controversial experiment which saw them crash a Boeing plane on purpose in a bid to find out which seats are the safest in the event of such a collision. The experiment, which used an unmanned Boeing 727-200, was conducted in the Sonaran desert in Mexico on April 27, 2012. Several federal permits were needed before the crash could be performed - and Mexican authorities required that the aircraft had to be flown by humans during part of the flight as it was due to fly over a populated area. The airplane, piloted by captain Jim Bob Slocum, took off from Mexicali International Airport with three flight crew and three support jumpers as well as crash dummies with breakable bones, cameras and sensors, and sand bags. The dummies were arranged in three different positions on the plane - one in the classic brace position and wearing a seatbelt, a second with a seatbelt but not in the brace position, and another without seatbelt and not in the brace position. As the flight progressed towards the desert, its occupants parachuted to safety, with former United States Navy pilot Chip Shanle controlling the aircraft remotely after the pilot exited. The plane hit the ground at 140 mph and upon impact, it broke into several sections, with the first 11 rows of seat ripping out as the nose of the plane dipped. Following the crash, the "passengers" in seats at the front of the aircraft were found to be the least likely to survive. Experts also found that the dummy in the brace position with its seat belt fastened would have survived the impact. The second dummy, whose seatbelt was fastened but was not in the brace position, would have survived but suffered severe head injuries. The third unrestrained dummy would have died. Anne Evans, a former investigator at the UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch, inspected the black box data recorded after the event and said at the time: "It is safer to sit at the back of the aircraft where the flight recorder is. The front is more vulnerable because that often sees higher impact forces. "I would pick somewhere which is comfortable and within a few rows of an emergency exit." The experiment, which was met with controversy as it was carried out just weeks after seven Brits were killed in a plane crash in Nepal, was only the second time a jet has been crash-tested in this way. The plane involved in the first experiment, which was carried out by Nasa in 1984, ended up in a fireball. Generally, aviation experts say that seating towards the back of the plane is safer - and because of this, Vishwash's survival has left many people baffled. CNN safety analyst and former US Federal Aviation Administration safety inspector David Soucie he told CNN how the seat was positioned, "right where the spar of the wing would go under, and it would be a solid place for the aircraft to hit the ground, but as far as survivability above it, that is incredibly surprising." Data from the National Transportation Safety Board in the US, which came from analysis of 20 plane crashes, found that passengers sitting at the back of the plane had the best chance of survival - a 69 per cent chance of staying alive compared to 59 per cent for those at the front. Another study, by Time, analysed crash data and also found that the back of the plane seemed to be the safest place to sit. It also found that passengers sitting in the middle seat tended to have a higher chance of survival, Forbes reported. Seat maps of the aircraft show that Ramesh's seat, 11A, was positioned close to the front of the plane. He was also next to a window - all of which makes his survival statistically unlikely. However, he was placed near an emergency exit, according to the plane seat map, which could have played a key role in his survival. Cary Grant, an assistant professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's College of Aviation, told Travel + Leisure that "if there was a seat that was safer, being close to an emergency exit increases the chance of getting out quicker."
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
A police, fire and aviation summer camp? At 84, he's all about it
With the excitement of a teenager and the time-worn experience of an elder, Steve Hurvitz describes a five-day summer camp that takes young people through a free crash course in first responder training, from sitting in on mock water rescues to handling police canines. It's grown so popular, he says, that organizers will host it twice this summer, back to back, to keep up with demand, and hope to possibly roll out three sessions a year from now. At the age of 84, Hurvitz might not strike the casual observer as an obvious choice for summer camp cheerleader, but few can talk up the benefits of the Learning Jet's First Responders Camp like its founder and chairman emeritus. Among his many hats, Hurvitz is a parliamentarian with the Minnesota Street Rod Association, which is a long story, and he was known as 'The Zebra' in his 13 years talking high school and collegiate football on a show on WCCO-TV, which is an even longer story. In 1998, his years spent representing Division II and III college refs on the NCAA rules committee helped land him in a YMCA 'Sports Legends' Hall of Fame. 'I've had a wonderful life — a wonderful life!' said Hurvitz, standing on the deck of a Boeing 727-200 cargo jet he keeps grounded at Holman Field, the downtown St. Paul municipal airport, outside a hangar dedicated in his honor. It's the same type of plane legendary thief and hijacker D.B. Cooper parachuted out of in 1971, never to be seen again, says Hurvitz excitedly, before leading an impromptu tour from its cockpit back to its black box. His time is limited on this particular day — there's a storm rolling in, and as a ham radio volunteer with the National Weather Service, he has duties — but he recalls a group of developmentally disabled young people who sat down for one of his whirlwind interactive aviation seminars, which he was told to keep to no more than an hour. By the time he had answered enough questions to satisfy their interest, three hours had flown by, so to speak. A decade ago, Hurvitz teamed with the Minnesota Association of Women in Aviation and a host of other partners, donors and volunteers to get the 153-foot Boeing and the nearby hangar ready to host summer camp. The Learning Jet's First Responders Camp was launched in 2015 with the plane, donated by Federal Express, serving as an on-site learning laboratory. Some nights brought him out at 1:30 a.m. to install interior paneling himself. A group of about 10 volunteers — the Learning Jet's 'tenders' — put in their own toil on the cargo jet, which once flew for Braniff Airways, said Mike Smith, a founding board member. 'We completely gutted the airplane and converted it into a classroom,' recalled Hurvitz, who retired from state employ in 2006 as assistant state director of aeronautics, the job he held after serving as assistant director of land acquisition. The Learning Jet hosted 31 young people ages 15 to 20 at the donor-driven summer camp last year, and will host two free day camps this June and July, with the latter still accepting enrollees through a mid-May application deadline. 'This is the first year we'll do two camps, and if we get enough interest, we'll add another camp next year,' Hurvitz said. 'We're always looking for donors.' Camp opens with a trip to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport for a daylong tour through all things aviation, including a look at how firefighters put out fires aboard planes, and an introduction to airport police and airport police dogs. The second day introduces them to the work of the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office and its divers, airboats and snowmobiles. Day three involves a visit from the Minnesota Air Rescue Team, as well as a visit to the St. Paul Fire Training facility off Snelling Avenue to suit up for hands-on demonstrations of pressure hoses and the jaws of life. On day four, a Life Link rescue helicopter lands at Holman Field to explain the work of flight nurses and paramedics, and St. Paul fire trainers get campers certified in first aid training. The final day features a tour through the work of the St. Paul Police Department, with an introduction to police canine handlers, the bomb squad, a crisis negotiator, drones and the SWAT team. The camp has yet to take any students airborne, though that's not entirely out of the question. It has taken some onto the water for demonstrations of water rescues, which are always more fun when an elected official is willing to float on White Bear Lake in a life jacket before being airlifted into the sky. Last year, students shadowing the county boat patrol sat in as two boaters received written warnings, says Horvitz, amusedly. Wilder East Clinic opens on St. Paul's East Side NAMI MN Sue Abderholden to retire as executive director after 24 years Woman killed in St. Paul home, her 2-year-old found unharmed State fines Regions Hospital for improper medical waste disposal St. Paul police: 2nd grader said he brought gun to school to show friends He's tracked at least a handful of former campers who have gone on to enroll in Junior ROTC or become paramedics, and at least a couple are working toward becoming firefighters. As he looks forward to his 85th birthday, Hurvitz is more than happy to share a few life lessons. 'I've found that the more I do, and the more fun I have, the better off things are,' he said.
