New Delhi (TIP)- An Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot was killed on Friday after a Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA Mk-1) crashed during a demonstration flight at the Dubai airshow, the IAF said.
The pilot was identified as Wing Commander Namansh Syal from Kangra in Himachal Pradesh. “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,” the IAF said in a statement, adding that a probe has been launched.
The crash was the second involving the India-built single-engine fighter jet since it was inducted by the IAF in July, 2016.
Images circulating on social media showed the fighter jet hitting the ground and exploding into a fireball. The pilot was performing low-level aerobatic manoeuvres when the Tejas crashed on the concluding day of the five-day airshow, which began on November 17.
The development comes as the IAF is looking to induct an advanced variant of the plane, the LCA Mk-1A.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh expressed grief over the tragedy. “Deeply anguished at the loss of a brave and courageous IAF pilot during an aerial display in Dubai Air Show. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. The nation stands firmly with the family in this tragic hour,” he said on X. “The nation has lost a brave, dutiful, and courageous pilot. I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved family members.I pay heartfelt tribute to the indomitable bravery, dedication to duty, and commitment to national service of brave son Naman Syal Ji,” Himachal CM Sukvinder Singh Sukku wrote on social media platform X, where he first announced the identity of the pilot in the crashed Tejas. Syal, 37, is survived by his wife, who also serves in the Indian Air Force, their six-year-old daughter, and his parents. A Tejas fighter jet had earlier crashed near Jaisalmer in Rajasthan on March 12, 2024. The pilot ejected safely. The crash occurred minutes after the jet had taken part in the tri-services Bharat Shakti exercise at the Pokhran firing range near Jaisalmer, an event that sought to demonstrate the strides India has made towards self-reliance in the defence manufacturing sector.
The IAF operates two squadrons (a squadron has 16 to 18 planes). The two aircraft that crashed were part of the IAF’s Mk-1 fleet, which includes the initial operational clearance (IOC) and the more advanced final operational clearance (FOC) configurations, the first variants of LCA.
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