Miracle Seat 11A? Thai Crash Survivor Stunned as Air India Lone Survivor Sat in Same Seat 27 Years Later

Ahmedabad: In a spine-chilling coincidence that has taken the internet by storm, a Thai actor-singer who survived a plane crash 27 years ago has discovered that the lone survivor of the recent Air India Dreamliner crash was sitting in the exact same seat — 11A.

Ruangsak Loychusak, now 47, was only 20 when he narrowly escaped death in the Thai Airways Flight TG261 crash in December 1998. The aircraft went down while attempting to land in southern Thailand, killing 101 of 146 people on board. Ruangsak, then seated in 11A, was one of the few survivors.

Fast forward to 2025: British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, the only survivor of the Air India Flight AI171 crash in Ahmedabad, was also seated in 11A. The uncanny parallel left Ruangsak with “goosebumps,” as he shared in a heartfelt Facebook post written in Thai: “Survivor of a plane crash in India. He sat in the same seat as me. 11A.”

The Air India Dreamliner tragically crashed moments after take-off from Ahmedabad, killing 241 of 242 people on board, including passengers and crew. Ramesh was thrown from the aircraft during impact, sustaining multiple injuries—but miraculously survived.

“For some time, I thought I was also going to die. But when I opened my eyes, I realised I was alive and I tried to unbuckle myself from the seat and escape from where I could,” Ramesh told DD News from his hospital bed.

Ruangsak, who openly battled trauma and survivor’s guilt for years following his 1998 ordeal, said he was moved by Ramesh’s story and offered condolences to the victims’ families.

Now hailed as the “miracle man of seat 11A,” Ramesh’s survival has triggered widespread global fascination—with some social media users jokingly calling seat 11A a “lucky charm.” Searches for emergency exit seats—especially 11A—have reportedly spiked across airline booking platforms.