NEW DELHI: An Air Force Tejas fighter jet crashed during an aerobatic display at the Dubai Airshow on Friday, killing the pilot, Wing Commander Namansh Syal. The single-engine Tejas Mark-1 plunged straight into the ground during a low-altitude demonstration, erupting into flames and scattering debris across the venue. The aircraft reportedly failed to recover from a negative-G turn before crashing at around 2.10pm local time at Al Maktoum International Airport.
Before the show began, a video now widely circulated online captured the ill-fated pilot interacting with defence officials. Syal, a resident of Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district, appeared calm, smilingly meeting officials and prepared before the sortie that turned fatal. This is the second crash involving the lightweight, multi-role Tejas fighter—manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics and powered by a GE-F404 turbofan engine—since its induction into the IAF a decade ago. In the earlier crash near Jaisalmer on March 12 last year, the pilot had managed to eject safely while returning from the Bharat Shakti military exercise at Pokhran. Wing Commander Syal, an experienced fighter pilot, was not as fortunate.