WHEN flying, many of us are keen to sit as near to the front as possible to speed up disembarking.

But in fact, research suggests that this is the worst place to sit – in the event of an accident

Researchers who crashed a plane into the Mexican desert found that sitting at the rear of the plane gives you the greatest chance of survival in the event of a disaster.

Sitting in an aisle seat six rows from an exit and keeping your seatbelt fastened also increases your survival chances,

A force of 12G was recorded in the front section of the plane – further back, the force dropped to around 6G..

This means that those flying in first class have far less chance of survival, according to the experts who ploughed a Boeing 727 into the Sonoran Desert for the Channel 4 show The Crash. However, both Boeing and Airbus say every seat on a plane is as safe as another.

The Crash on Channel 4

Though a report commissioned by the Civil Aviation Authority showed that passengers seated within six rows of an exit stood the best chance of survival.

However, the difference between sitting by the window or aisle is said to marginal.

Plane safety has been in the spotlight recently following a spate of incidents in 2014.

There were the two Malaysian Airlines disasters in March and July that resulted in the deaths of 537 people.

And there was the unexplained disappearance of an AirAsia flight to Singapore.

According to the website planecrashinfo.com, 1,021 aviation deaths have been registered so far in 2014, including military crashes with 10 or more fatalities.

It is a figure that looks set to rise to 1,183 when AirAsia Flight QZ8501 is accounted for.

According to the Aviation Safety Network, this is the highest number of plane crash deaths since  since 1998.

But before panicking about where you may sit the next time you fly, it is worth considering that air travel is still the safest mode of transport.

Researchers at the University of Oxford suggest the odds of dying in a plane crash are one in 3.5million, compared with a one in 36,512 chance of being killed in a motor accident.

Pictures courtesy of Rex Features and Channel 4