Man who survived 1998 plane crash stunned after Air India crash survivor revealed he sat in same 11a seat
A Thai singer who miraculously survived a deadly plane crash in 1998 says he was left with “goosebumps” after learning that the sole survivor of the recent Air India tragedy was seated in the exact same seat he had occupied—11A.
Ruangsak Loychusak, 47, recounted how he lived through the Thai Airways flight TG261 crash that claimed 101 lives when it plummeted into a swamp near Surat Thani while attempting to land.
The 1998 disaster killed 101 out of 132 passengers and crew members on board. Loychusak, then a young entertainer, sat in seat 11A.
Fast forward to June 12, 2025: Air India’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner bound for London Gatwick crashed into buildings shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad.
The flight, carrying 244 people, exploded into a fireball, leaving only one survivor: 40-year-old British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who was sitting in seat 11A.
Reacting to the news, Loychusak said, “I got goosebumps. The lone survivor of the plane crash in India was sitting in the same seat number as me, 11A.”
He extended his condolences to families affected by the tragedy and said newspaper reports from 1998 had documented his seat assignment.
Ramesh, who lives in London with his wife and child, described how he was “ejected” from the aircraft before it struck the ground and burst into flames.
Treated at a hospital in Ahmedabad, doctors confirmed he sustained multiple injuries but was in stable condition.
He told Indian broadcaster Doordarshan: “I don’t know how I came out alive. I thought I was going to die. When I opened my eyes, I realised I was still alive and managed to undo my seatbelt and escape.”
Ramesh recounted the horrifying moments: how the plane seemed stuck in the air, the sudden drop, the split in the fuselage, and the intense explosion.
His seat, located near the emergency exit, was flung open on impact, which likely saved his life.
He burned his arm in the chaos and witnessed fellow passengers, including two cabin crew, lose their lives. He also revealed that his brother, who was on the same flight, remains missing and is presumed dead.
Footage from the crash site showed Ramesh limping away from the wreckage before being assisted and rushed to the hospital.
Meanwhile, Ruangsak reflected on his own past trauma, saying it took him a decade to feel safe flying again.
“I could still hear the sounds and taste the swamp water. For years, I avoided conversations and clung to the window for security during flights.”
