Recently, it has been reported that the only survivor of the Air India passenger plane crash in India was seated in seat '11A,' drawing attention to the comments of a Thai individual who previously survived an aviation accident while sitting in the same seat.
On the 16th (local time), Thai media KaoSod and Thai Rat reported that Thai actor and singer Ruangsak Loychusak (47) expressed condolences to the victims and their families of the Air India tragedy on social media (SNS), noting that he also survived a plane crash after sitting in seat 11A. He remarked, "It gives me chills."
The flight he was on was Thai Airways Flight TG261, which crashed into a swamp while on approach from Bangkok to Surat Thani on Dec. 11, 1998, resulting in the deaths of 101 passengers and crew members and injuring 45. Loychusak explained that he was one of the survivors at that time, stating that although there is no remaining ticket, his seat number was recorded in newspaper reports at that time.
Previously, Loychusak had expressed his pain on his SNS during the 24th anniversary of the plane crash in 2022. He said, "I suffered every time I got on a plane for over 10 years after the accident. My palms would sweat, my heart would race irregularly, and I had trouble breathing," adding, "I still remember the sounds, smells, and even the taste of the water from the swamp where we crashed."
In the recent Air India AI171 accident, only one of the 242 passengers survived, and he was Vishwashi Kumar Ramesh, who was seated in 11A. Initially, it was presumed that all passengers had died shortly after the accident, but he reportedly walked out of the wreckage limping and stated, "I came out of the plane."
As news spread that two individuals survived while seated in the same seat number during different accidents at different times, online reactions included comments such as "11A is the miracle seat" and "the seat that changed fate." Some even referred to it as the 'lucky seat.'
However, aviation experts stated that this case is merely a coincidence. They explained that each aircraft has different seat configurations, and the advantageous seat positions for survival vary by type of accident, making it scientifically unfounded to determine survival chances based solely on seat numbers.