Taiwanese parents and their two-year-old son survived TransAsia Flight GE235 after switching seats from the left side of the plane to the right, media outlets reported this week.
The Lin family made the decision shortly before takeoff, and the quick action may have saved their lives.
The flight was carrying 58 passengers from Taipei's Songshan airport to the Taiwanese island of Kinmen when it barely cleared a highway overpass and crashed into shallow water shortly after taking off on Wednesday.
Mr Lin heard a noise coming from the plane's left wing, and was reportedly so "uncomfortable" that he asked if his family could move to seats across the aisle.
After the plane crashed, the father sprang into action.
"Right after Lin escaped the plane, he pulled up his wife, who was just next to him," the United Daily reported. "He saw his son in the water, with face turning pale and lips turning purple."
Lin administered CPR to the child until emergency officials took over.
The pilot, 42-year-old Liao Chien-tsung, is being called a hero for his skilled maneuvering of the plane between buildings and over the overpass before it crashed into the river.
Both Liao and his co-pilot perished in the crash.
"The pilot's immediate action saved many people," Lin's brother, Chris, told Reuters. "We all feel very lucky."
Taiwan's Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) reported that 16 of the deceased were part of a 31-person tourist group from China - mostly from the city of Xiamen. Three of the Chinese passengers were rescued.
