Scientists reveal: Where is the best place to sit on a plane to survive a crash?

(Patria) - Air travel is one of the safest modes of transport, and the odds of dying in a plane crash are 1 in 11,000,000, writes Daily Mail.

However, what is less known is that the chances of surviving a crash also depend on the choice of seat on the plane.

Australian aviation expert and professor at Central Queensland University Doug Drury revealed a fatality rate of 44 percent for passengers sitting in aisle seats in the middle of the plane, compared to 28 percent for central rear seats.

Drury says that aisle seats do not offer a buffer on one side, so the passenger is likely to be hit by debris upon impact.

Passengers who cannot secure the safest seats may have better luck surviving in central and window seats in the middle section of the plane.

- However, the chances of dying in a plane crash depend less on where you sit and actually more on the circumstances of the crash - Drury points out.

At the same time, he assures that air travel is the safest mode of transport.

But, given that plane crashes do happen, Drury revealed the best and worst place to sit on a plane.

He used United Flight 323 as an example, which crashed in Sioux City, Iowa (USA) in 1989. In that crash, 184 of the 269 passengers survived, and most of them sat behind first class.

A Time magazine study, which lasted 35 years, showed that seats in the rear third of the plane had a 32 percent fatality rate, compared to 39 percent in the middle third and 38 percent in the front third of the plane.

According to a study by the University of Greenwich, survivors of a plane crash who sit near emergency exits have the possibility of a faster exit from the plane, making it more likely that they will move away from the crash site itself.

Scientists reveal that seats up to five rows from the exits offer a greater chance of escape in the event of a fire on the plane.

However, when you sit six or more rows from the exit, the chances of dying are far greater than those of surviving, scientists say.

The same study shows that for an aisle seat, there is only a "marginal" difference in the chances of surviving a plane crash.

The scientists based their results on statements from 2,000 survivors of 105 plane crashes worldwide.

When it comes to surviving a fire on a plane, passengers sitting in the aisle had marginally higher chances of survival, 65 percent, compared to 58 percent for passengers sitting by the window.

Passengers in the front of the plane had a 65 percent chance of escaping a fire, while those in the back had only a 53 percent chance.

- Your chance of survival should not be based on your ability to pay for an emergency exit seat or to book your seat online - says Robert Gifford, director of the British Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety.

All planes must pass a test to be evacuated in 90 seconds. In the tests, cabin crew assist passengers at the exits.

However, experts point out that experimental situations do not take into account social ties among passengers, for example - that adults usually help children escape before themselves.

Plane exits can also be unusable or blocked, and some crew members may also die in the crash.

Passengers in a safety study are more likely to follow cabin crew instructions than in a real emergency.

In real emergencies, where passengers can choose which directions to flee, they may end up ignoring crew orders and trying to use their nearest exit, a 2008 study showed.