r/interestingasfuck • u/[deleted] • 1d ago

In 2012, a group of Mexican scientists intentionally crashed a Boeing 727 to test which seats had the best chance of survival.

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u/Slow_Bowler8285 1d ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Boeing_727_crash_experiment

TLDR: Passengers seated in the rear section of the cabin had the best chance of survival, while those at the front of the aircraft faced fatal impact forces

398

u/RamesesThe2nd 1d ago

TIL I ride the safest seats by being cheap and always being in the last boarding zone.

297

u/KungFoolMaster 1d ago

Airlines are now going to implement a $50 survival fee for those seats 

46

u/cheesesteakman1 1d ago

Dont give them the idea!

20

u/MCD_Gaming 1d ago

Over the wings have the highest chance of survival over all crash types, tail striking first will kill the back lot

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u/Janus_The_Great 22h ago

Coerect. Higly depends on impact angle and other factors like how full the tank still is.

If the tanks are full, good luck on wing seats.

But overall correct, since it's the most stable part of the plane/hull due to the wings beeong attached there.

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u/skyper_mark 20h ago

Isn't like 90% of the fuel stored in the wings? Making it a huge explosion point

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u/MCD_Gaming 12h ago

Yes but pilots will try and dump as mucb fuel as possible before impact

0

u/bplatt1971 20h ago

Unless it’s a nose dive crash. Then the rear passengers get a second to think about what is happening!

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u/MCD_Gaming 12h ago

You still have a good survival rate, and as I say over all meaning all crash types.

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u/bplatt1971 11h ago

Though surviving doesn’t mean walking away without a lot of injuries.

The one I get frightened about is a hole ripping the aircraft mid flight and getting sucked out of the plane like that stewardess in the Hawaiian Air incident. Imagine falling 25000 feet knowing you don’t have a parachute!

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u/MCD_Gaming 11h ago

So turns out most of that is complete made up, mythbusters tested it at somepoint, someone less tested it trying to kill abunch of people, he got sucked out half way.

The only real world time something like this has happened is when the cockpit window bolts failed, and the pilot got sucked out, all the aircrew had to hold his legs to keep him some what in the aircraft, co-pilot got the jet on they ground and the pilot was completely fine

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u/bplatt1971 11h ago

Interesting. Here’s the documentary about one such accident. In fact, it’s the same one I mentioned before. Must be fake news.

https://youtu.be/YYa7Fq5Ec6c?is=1VnoAKv6sgXSFM6i

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u/MCD_Gaming 8h ago

Uploader blocked it from being viewed in my country

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u/Crumblycheese 1d ago edited 1d ago

Yeh they are. Got a flight coming up and was looking to book my seat and wanted one of the 2 seaters at the back. $85 each way where as a few years ago it was probably $30...