How Two Flight Attendants Survived South Korea Plane Crash That Killed 179

The secret to their survival lies in the rear seats, statistically the safest part of an aircraft during a crash.

Two flight attendants aboard Jeju Air Flight 2216 were the sole survivors of a tragic crash that claimed 179 lives. Their survival is being attributed to a critical factor: their seating position in the rear of the aircraft, often regarded as the safest area during crashes.

The Boeing 737 was approaching Muan International Airport on Sunday when it skidded off the runway and collided with a concrete wall. According to officials, the tail section of the aircraft—where the flight attendants were seated—was the only part that remained intact. “Only the tail part retains a little bit of shape, and the rest of the plane looks almost impossible to recognize,” Muan Fire Chief Lee Jung-hyun said during a briefing, as reported by the New York Post.

The safety of rear seats has been supported by a 2015 Time magazine analysis of 35 years of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) data. The study revealed that seats in the back third of an aircraft had a 32% fatality rate, compared to 39% in the middle and 38% in the front sections.

One of the survivors, identified as Lee Mo, recounted the moments leading up to the crash. He recalled buckling his seatbelt just before the impact and waking up later in a hospital bed, confused and disoriented. “Where am I?… What happened?” he reportedly asked, according to the Korea Times.

Flight attendants are often positioned in the rear of an aircraft due to their duties, increasing their chances of survival in this case. However, as aviation safety expert Professor Doug Drury from Central Queensland University notes, other factors also influence survival. Proximity to exit rows can facilitate a quicker escape, but sitting near the wings, where fuel is stored, can heighten the risk of fire or explosion. Additionally, middle seats—flanked by passengers—may provide extra cushioning and reduce injury risk.

Despite this extraordinary story of survival, air travel remains statistically one of the safest modes of transportation. The International Air Transport Association reported zero fatalities from commercial aviation accidents in 2023, with an average of just one accident per 880,293 flights—making flying safer than buses or trains.

Meanwhile, investigators are examining the cause of the Jeju Air crash. Early findings suggest that a bird strike damaged at least one engine shortly before the crash, possibly triggering engine failure and disabling the hydraulic systems responsible for landing gear and brakes. However, manual overrides for such systems exist, raising questions about why they were not effective.

Aviation safety expert David Learmount criticised the presence of a concrete wall at the end of the runway, calling it a “criminal” oversight. “It should never have been there,” he told Sky News.

As the investigation unfolds, the survival of the two flight attendants serves as a testament to the importance of seat placement and sheer luck in aviation accidents. It also underscores how rare such tragedies are, reinforcing the safety of modern air travel.