An Indian Air Force (IAF) Tejas fighter jet crashed during a demonstration flight at the Dubai Airshow 2025 on Friday (November 21, 2025), causing a massive explosion and killing the pilot, Wing Commander Namansh Syal.
The incident occurred during an aerial display at the event venue on the last day of the global exhibition. Details about the cause of the crash are awaited.
The Tejas, a light combat aircraft (LCA) developed by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), was participating in the airshow as part of India’s aerospace and defence showcase.
Visuals of the crash show the indigenous fighter jet crashing, followed by an explosion and a huge cloud of smoke. No visual confirmation of ejection by the pilot was immediately available.
How did LCA Tejas crash?
The aircraft, while performing a low-fly manoeuvre, attempted to make a turn but instantly began losing altitude. As visible in the videos, the aircraft first went into a nose-dive. It is evident from the footage that the pilot tried to recover the rapidly dropping altitude but was unable to regain control.
In the final moments, the Tejas crashed almost flat near the tarmac, giving the pilot virtually no time to eject. The impact triggered a fireball that spread across hundreds of metres.
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What has the IAF said about Tejas crash?
The official account of the Indian Air Force took to X to announce that 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,” the service said in its first post following reports of the incident.
The IAF further noted that a court of inquiry is being constituted to ascertain the cause of the accident.
Firefighting and emergency teams responded rapidly to the incident and are currently managing the situation on-site, the Government of Dubai Media Office confirmed.
What has Tejas’ safety record been like so far?
This is the second time a Tejas fighter jet has crashed; the first Tejas crash occurred in March 2024, when a single-engine Tejas Mk-1 crashed near Jaisalmer during an operational training sortie.
The pilot had managed to eject safely in that incident and no ground casualties were reported.
Preliminary investigation pointed to engine seizure, likely due to an oil pump malfunction; subsequent fleet-wide inspections found no systemic safety issues. This incident ended the Tejas’ then-accident-free record, with nearly 5,000 test flights over two decades without a single crash before entering operational service.
The crash is Dubai marks the first fatal LCA Tejas crash.