It is a well-known myth and controversial idea that sitting at the back of an
airplane is safer than sitting at the front in the event of a crash, but is this true?
A reason for this assumption is that since planes, in the event of a crash, nosedive, and crash head first, it would be safer to be at the back, right? Others say that the wing section is the safest because of its structural stability.
Todd Curtis, author of “Understanding Aviation Safety Data”, who keeps an archive on airplane crashes and mishaps, says that since every crash are so different, and so many different causes and variables are involved, it is impossible to state that one section is any safer than another.
Since certain countries do not keep consistent data about airplanes, such as seating maps, it is hard to tell where someone was sitting at the exact time of impact. Larger planes are of course safer because of stricter flying laws, and because they have more substance to absorb energy in the case of an impact.
The bottom line is that it is not known whether one seat is safer than
another, or that the back of a plane is any safer than the front.
