Miracles in seat 11A: The tale of 2 air crashes and 2 survivors

Calling Seat 11A a ‘miracle seat’ would not be an exaggeration.

Back in 1998, Thai singer Ruangsak James Loychusak survived a devastating plane crash, an experience that stayed with him forever. But he never thought the seat he was in that day, 11A, would come back into conversation decades later.

Nearly 27 years on, when he saw reports that the only survivor of a recent Air India crash in Ahmedabad was also seated in 11A, he was taken aback.

“The lone survivor of the plane crash in India was sitting in the same seat number as me, 11A. Goosebumps”, Loychusak, now 47,  wrote on Facebook.

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Earlier this week, India witnessed one of its most tragic aviation accidents in recent history. An Air India flight bound for London crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, killing 241 people on board. The only person who made it out alive was Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, an Indian-origin British national.

And now, Loychusak’s survival story from 1998 is back in the spotlight, with an uncanny connection to the same seat number, 11A. Here’s what we know

How seat 11A gave Loychusak a ‘second life’

In December 1998, 20-year-old Thai singer Ruangsak Loychusak was aboard Thai Airways Flight TG261 from Bangkok to Surat Thani when the Airbus A310 stalled and crashed into a swamp. Of 146 people on board, only 45 survived. Among them was Loychusak, seated in 11A.

He somehow managed to crawl out of the wreckage and was rushed to the hospital with injuries. He no longer has his boarding pass from that day, but he says newspaper reports from the time had documented his seat number: 11A.

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How ‘most hated’ seat 11A turned into a miracle one for lone survivor of Air India plane crash

The crash left deep emotional scars. Loychusak has often described the years since as his “second life”.

“I had difficulty flying for 10 years after the crash. I would struggle breathing, even though the air circulation was normal,” he told The Daily Mail.

“I avoided speaking to anyone and always stared outside the window, blocking anyone from closing it to maintain my sense of safety. If I saw dark clouds or a rainstorm outside, I would feel terrible, like I was in hell.”

The memories of that day never left him.

“I can still remember the sounds, smells, and even the taste of the water in the swamp the plane crashed into. For a long time, I would keep the feelings to myself,” he said.

So when he came across reports that the lone survivor of the Air India crash in June 2025 had also been seated in 11A, he felt a chill. He then offered condolences to those who lost their lives in the tragic incident.

How 11A became a ‘miracle seat’ for Vishwas

Just days ago, 40-year-old Vishwas Ramesh became the only person to survive the Air India crash in Ahmedabad. He, too, had been sitting in 11A.

Speaking from his hospital bed, Ramesh shared the moment he realised he had somehow survived.

“I’ve no idea how I survived. For a while, I thought I was dying too. But when I opened my eyes, I tried to get out. I saw the gate was broken and there was a small gap — I jumped through it,” he told DD News.

According to NDTV, which analysed the seating layout of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, Ramesh’s seat 11A was located at the front of the economy section, just behind business class, and close to the left-side emergency exits.

That location may have made all the difference.

The section of the plane where Ramesh was seated crashed into the lower floor of a building. While upper levels of the aircraft were engulfed in fire, his part of the fuselage stayed relatively intact. That narrow stroke of luck may have given him the chance to escape.

Footage taken near the crash site shows Ramesh, injured and limping, making his way away from the burning jet before emergency responders reached him.

Ramesh, who grew up in India and later moved to the UK, had been travelling with his brother Ajay, who tragically did not survive the crash.

Seat 11A: From the ‘worst seat’ to a lucky charm

Among frequent flyers, seat 11A hasn’t exactly been a popular choice.

Flight attendants from American Airlines once told The Sun that 11A and 11F are among the most complained-about seats. They’re located mid-cabin, meaning passengers often have to wait longer to deboard.

But perhaps the biggest disappointment? On many aircraft, including certain Boeing 737s, 11A is a window seat…without an actual window. Thanks to internal wiring, air ducts, or aircraft design quirks, seats like 9A to 12A sometimes sit beside a blank wall.

Yet in the wake of these two unbelievable survival stories, the perception of 11A is starting to shift.

Online, people are now referring to it as “the miracle seat.” Some are even asking airlines if they can reserve it, not for the view, but for the luck.

With input from agencies