The ‘Miracle of Seat 11A’: Two Survivors From Plane Crashes Decades Apart Share an Uncanny Coincidence

When Thai actor and singer Roongsak Loetsakulwit saw the news about the crash of Flight AI171 in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025, one detail sent shivers down his spine: the sole survivor sat in seat 11A—the same seat he occupied when he survived a deadly plane crash nearly 27 years earlier. ‘Survivor of Air India plane crash in India. He was sitting in the same seat as me. 11A,’ Roongsak wrote on his Facebook page, sparking widespread fascination online. The Air India flight AI171 crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad en route to London’s Gatwick Airport. Of the 242 passengers aboard the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, only one—a 40-year-old man—survived. Despite suffering multiple injuries during the impact, he managed to escape the wreckage and was transported to a hospital with burns on his left hand. Speaking from the hospital, Vishwas described his ordeal to Indian authorities: ‘For a moment, I thought I would die too. When I opened my eyes and realized I was alive, I tried to unbuckle my seatbelt and get out wherever I could.’ This story echoes the December 1998 crash of Thai Airways Flight TG261, which claimed 101 lives. At the time, Roongsak, then 20, survived the crash while attempting to land at Surat Thani Airport in southern Thailand. Over the years, he openly discussed the trauma and ‘survivor syndrome’ that plagued him, avoiding planes for nearly a decade and referring to life post-crash as his ‘second life.’ Now, two survivors separated by decades are linked by the same seat: 11A. The internet quickly buzzed with intrigue over this mysterious coincidence. However, experts remind us there is no universally ‘safest seat’ on airplanes. ‘Every plane crash is different, and it’s impossible to predict survival based on seating position,’ explains Mitchell Fox, director of the U.S.-based Flight Safety Foundation. Seat arrangements vary depending on the aircraft type, and what might be a good spot for one flight could be disastrous for another. Ron Bars, president of Australian advisory firm AvLaw, adds: ‘In this case, since the passenger was near an emergency exit, it was clearly the safest spot that day. But it’s not always 11A—it’s 11A in this specific Boeing 787 configuration.’ Aviation safety experts emphasize that survival depends more on passenger preparedness than luck. Paying attention to safety instructions, identifying the nearest exit, and promptly following crew orders can make all the difference.