A Tejas fighter jet of the Indian Air Force crashed in a ball of fire on Friday during an aerial display at the Dubai Air Show killing the lone pilot, in the second accident involving the indigenous multi-role Light Combat Aircraft in less than two years.
The pilot was identified as Wg Cdr Namansh Syal, who is in his mid-30s and hails from Himachal Pradesh, according to available accounts.
As the crash inside the grounds of an airfield in Dubai cast a tragic shadow on an otherwise mega spectacle on the last day of the event in the desert city, video footage of the accident showed the jet abruptly dropping height after what looked like a low-altitude manoeuvre and then nosedived into the ground in a matter of seconds before being engulfed in a ball of fire.
Black smoke billowed over the Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central, as horrified spectators, including women and children, assembled in large numbers at a grand stand area behind a fenced airstrip watched in shock.
The single-engine light weight aircraft crashed around 2:10 pm local time(3.40 pm IST) after the pilot had flown across the site of the prestigious air show in Dubai during the demonstration flight. The aerial display of Tejas was scheduled to last eight minutes.
"An IAF Tejas aircraft met with an accident during an aerial display at Dubai Air Show, today. The pilot sustained fatal injuries in the accident.
"IAF deeply regrets the loss of life and stands firmly with the bereaved family in this time of grief. A court of inquiry is being constituted, to ascertain the cause of the accident," the IAF said in a brief statement posted on its X handle.
State-run aerospace behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), the manufacturer of the Light Combat Aircraft(LCA), said it was deeply saddened by the loss of life of the "courageous IAF pilot".
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said he was deeply anguished at the loss of a "brave and courageous IAF pilot".
"My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. The nation stands firmly with the family in this tragic hour," he said in a post of X.
Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Anil Chauhan said the armed forces stand firmly with the bereaved family in this time of grief.
"General Anil Chauhan, CDS and all ranks of Indian Armed Forces deeply regret the incident in which an IAF Tejas aircraft met with an accident during an aerial display at Dubai Air Show, today. The pilot sustained fatal injuries in the accident. We deeply regret the loss of life and stand firmly with the bereaved family in this time of grief," the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS) said in a post on X.
The Congress condoled the death of the pilot, with Rahul Gandhi saying the nation stands with his family honouring his courage and service.
Dubai Air Show is a biennial event held in the UAE, and has both flying and static displays.
The earlier accident involving the Tejas occurred in Jaisalmer in Rajasthan in March last year but the pilot ejected safely.
On March 12, 2024, a Tejas aircraft crashed near a residential colony in Jaisalmer while returning from tri-services military exercise 'Bharat Shakti' in Pokhran desert in what was the first accident involving the homegrown jet since it began flying in 2001.
The local media in the UAE carried some eyewitness accounts.
"It was a wonderful show until this tragic accident occurred, shocking all of us. From the way the flight turned before it went down, I strongly feel the pilot tried to save the spectators. It's so unfortunate that he couldn't escape. We are deeply saddened that someone died before our eyes, and the pain is even greater knowing it was an Indian fighter jet pilot," according to Indian expat Shajudheen Jabbar, who witnessed the show along with his family, as quoted by Gulf News.
Another local resident Winston Lobo said the impact of the crash was felt in the nearby community.
"It happened very close to my house. I heard a loud bang. I honestly thought piles of pipes had tumbled down. The jet went down in a rubble area very close to our area," said Lobo, who has lived in the UAE for 18 years.
This year, over 1,500 leading exhibitors and more than 1.48 lakh industry professionals from 150 countries are participating in the event, the Indian defence ministry had said on November 18. The 2025 edition is being hosted from November 17-21.
According to an AP report, the air show resumed flight demonstrations about an hour and a half after the crash, with the Russian Knights flying overhead as emergency crews still worked the crash site.
As sirens wailed, Police and emergency personnel could be seen at the crash site afterward, with firefighting foam sprayed across the road. An SUV bearing diplomatic plates flying the Indian flag also could be seen, it said.
"Firefighting and emergency teams responded rapidly to the incident and are currently managing the situation on-site," the Dubai media office, which responds to crises in the sheikhdom, said on X.
The Tejas aircraft is a potent platform for air combat and offensive air support missions while reconnaissance and anti-ship operations are its secondary roles. They are set to be the mainstay of the IAF.
The project to build Tejas aircraft finally took off in 1984 after years of deliberations and the jet was formally declared fit to fly in 2011.
IAF test crew have been involved with the Tejas project right from conceptual stage till prototype testing. The first version of the aircraft was inducted into the IAF in 2016.
Currently, two squadrons of IAF, 45 Squadron and 18 Squadron, are fully operational with LCA Tejas, according to a statement issued by the defence ministry in November 2023. An IAF fighter squadron typically has 16 to 18 jets.
The Tejas aircraft came under some scrutiny when one of the jets developed a technical snag during a sortie in October 2020.
In February 2021, the defence ministry sealed a Rs 48,000 crore deal with the HAL for the procurement of 83 Tejas MK-1A jets for the IAF.
In November 2023, the ministry had accorded an initial approval to procure an additional batch of 97 Tejas jets for the IAF.
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