Seat 11A mystery: Sole survivors of Air India and Thai Airways crashes, 27 years apart, shared same seat

Thai singer Ruangsak Loychusak, who survived a 1998 plane crash while seated in 11A, has revealed a chilling connection with Vishwashkumar Ramesh—the sole survivor of the 2025 Air India tragedy—who also sat in seat 11A. The eerie coincidence has stunned many.

Hyderabad: In a chilling coincidence, Thai singer-actor Ruangsak Loychusak, who survived the 1998 Thai Airways crash, has revealed he was seated in 11A—the same seat occupied by the sole survivor of the Air India Flight AI171 tragedy last week.

“I want to offer my condolences to those who lost loved ones. The survivor of the India crash was in the same seat—11A—as me,” Ruangsak posted on Facebook, recalling his near-fatal experience. The Thai Airways Flight TG261 crashed into a swamp while attempting to land in Surat Thani on December 11, 1998, killing 101 of the 146 onboard. Ruangsak was among 45 survivors.

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Vishwashkumar Ramesh, 40, the lone survivor of the June 12, 2025, Air India crash in Ahmedabad, also sat in 11A, next to an emergency exit. His brother, seated in 11J, was among the 241 who perished.

Experts suggest that seats near the emergency exit, such as 11A, may offer slight survivability advantages due to extra legroom and structural support.

The “11A enigma” has gone viral, sparking public fascination and a surge in passengers requesting the same seat—despite aviation authorities cautioning against reading too much into the coincidence.

Both survivors, deeply scarred, now view life as a second chance. While Ruangsak avoided flying for a decade, Vishwashkumar continues recovery in Ahmedabad and is grateful to be alive.