Wing Commander Namansh Syal died when the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA Mk-1) that he was flying crashed at the Dubai Airshow demonstration on Friday.
Death of the Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot, Wing Commander Namansh Syal, in a crash at the Dubai Airshow on Friday has sent shockwaves across the country. Wing Commander Syal died when the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA Mk-1) that he was flying crashed at the Dubai Airshow demonstration on Friday.
Terming the IAF pilot’s death as sad, Air Marshal Sanjeev Kapoor (Retd) said the incident has “shaken up the whole system” and said that a court of inquiry will investigate possible mechanical or technical causes.
“The ill-fated Tejas crash a little while ago in Dubai has actually shaken up the whole system… The reasons could be mechanical. The reason could be the malfunction of fly-by-wire or any control surface… The FDR and CVR would be extracted… At this stage, to speculate and to say what could have gone wrong is incorrect, and to have lost a brother in arms is very sad,” he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
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Visuals of the accident circulating on social media showed the fighter jet crashing on the ground and exploding into a fireball when the pilot was performing low-level aerobatic manoeuvres. The Tejas crashed on the concluding day of the five-day airshow, which began on November 17.
The crash was the second involving the India-built single-engine fighter jet since it was inducted by the IAF in July 2016. In March 2024, a Tejas fighter jet had crashed near Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, though the pilot had ejected safely.
Condemnations pour for Wing Commander Syal
Expressing sorrow over the IAF crash at Dubai show, defence expert Shiwalee Deshpande urged patience as the court of inquiry investigates the cause.
“The whole country is with the family, and such accidents should not happen. However, a court of inquiry has been ordered into it; let’s wait to see the result. The country is deeply saddened by the loss of a very, very capable pilot. Let’s wait for further investigations to see the real reason for this,” Deshpande told ANI.
As the Indian Air Force announced the death of the Pilot after Tejas crash, expressed support to the pilot’s family.
“An IAF Tejas aircraft met with an accident during an aerial display at the Dubai Airshow 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 statement by the Indian Air Force said.
The IAF said a court of inquiry is being constituted to ascertain the cause of the accident in which the pilot succumbed to fatal injuries.
Tejas crash at Dubai Airshow
According to reports, Tejas went down soon after it took off to perform an aerial display before a large crowd. Photos and videos shared online show plumes of black smoke billowing into the air from the aircraft on the ground.
Eyewitnesses told media that the airshow was halted briefly as helicopters and firefighters rushed to the scene for rescue. “Within about 45 minutes, the entire incident was taken care of. We are not sure if the programme will restart,” Khaleej Times quoted an eyewitness as saying.
