An Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot, Wing Commander Namansh Syal, was killed on Friday when a Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA Mk-1) crashed during a demonstration at the Dubai Air Show, the IAF confirmed.
The 37-year-old was performing a low-level aerobatic manoeuvre on the final day of the event, when the ill-fated fighter jet went down.
In a statement, the IAF said, “An IAF Tejas aircraft met with an accident during an aerial display at the Dubai airshow. 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.”
This is the second crash involving the indigenous Tejas fighter jet since the aircraft was inducted into the IAF in 2016.
Who was Wg Cdr Namansh Syal?
Wing Commander Namansh Syal, hailed from Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh. Syal is survived by his wife, who is also an IAF officer, their six-year-old daughter, and his parents.
{{/usCountry}}Wing Commander Namansh Syal, hailed from Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh. Syal is survived by his wife, who is also an IAF officer, their six-year-old daughter, and his parents.
{{/usCountry}}He completed his schooling from Sainik School, Sujanpur Tira, district administration officials said.
He was commissioned into Indian Air Force on 24 December 2009, according to the Bharat Rakshak website.
Ramesh Kumar, a relative of Syal, said: “Namansh’s parents are currently at the Sulur Air Force Station near Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. His wife, who also serves in the IAF, is in Kolkata for a course. His father Jagannath Syal served in the Indian Army’s medical corps and later worked in the education department, before retiring as a principal.”
Himachal mourns its braveheart
The news of Wg Cdr Syal’s death has left his home state in shock. Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu posted an image of the pilot on X and wrote that “the nation has lost a brave, dutiful, and courageous pilot”, adding that he extended his deepest condolences to the family.
Former Himachal CM Jairam Thakur also called the incident “extremely heartbreaking and painful”.
What happened at the Dubai Airshow?
The crash took place during a routine aerobatic display at the Dubai Airshow, one of the largest aviation exhibitions in the world, where more than 150 countries are showcasing their aerospace capabilities. The event began on November 17.
Visuals from the final day show the Tejas fighter suddenly nose-diving before exploding into a fireball, sending plumes of smoke across the airfield. A court of inquiry is now looking into what went wrong.
This incident follows the March 2024 crash of another Tejas near Jaisalmer during a training sortie, where the pilot had managed to eject safely.
Efforts are underway to piece together the chain of events that led to Friday’s tragedy.