NEW DELHI: An Indian Air Force Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas crashed during a demonstration flight at the Dubai Air Show on Friday afternoon, sending thick black smoke rising from the crash site and shocking spectators. The HAL-manufactured fighter jet went down at approximately 2:10pm local time while performing aerial manoeuvres, according to officials.Multiple eyewitness videos showed the aircraft appearing to lose balance before nosediving and crashing at a distance from the spectator area. Emergency response teams immediately moved in as smoke billowed across the airfield. Spectators watched from a distance in stunned silence as the aircraft went down. Many stood frozen, with their hand over their heads, struggling to process what they had just witnessed, while the dark plume billowed upward.The incident occurred during one of the aviation industry’s most prominent events, where India’s indigenous Tejas jet was participating in a scheduled display to highlight the country’s defence manufacturing capabilities.The Indian Air Force confirmed that the pilot suffered critical injuries in the crash and later succumbed to them, according to an official statement. The Indian Air Force stated that additional information is being gathered.Authorities have begun investigating the cause of the crash, and further details are awaited.