Indian Air Force’s Tejas fighter jet crashed during an air display at the Dubai Airshow on Friday (21 November 2025), killing the pilot. The name of the pilot was Wing Commander Namansh Syal, who was a resident of Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. After the crash of LCA-Tejas, questions are being raised as to how this accident happened. Is this just an accident or some technical fault? After the incident, India’s Make for the World policy may also face a big blow.
How did LCA-Tejas crash in Dubai?
Thousands of spectators were present there when Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas crashed during the exhibition on the last day of Dubai Air Show (16-21 November). Looking at the video of the crash, it is clear that while low-flying, the pilot maneuvered his aircraft, i.e. tried to perform stunts. At the same time the plane suddenly fell down. The pilot did not even get a chance to eject from the plane.
IAF orders court of inquiry
Seeing the video of the crash, it also seems that the pilot tried to control the aircraft till the last moment. Because in case of ejection, the fighter plane could drift and fall on the spectator gallery or even on the aircraft standing at the airbase. The Air Force has ordered a Court of Inquiry i.e. a high level investigation, through which the cause of the accident can be found out.
Fake news had come earlier about Tejas
After the crash, for the last two days, the pictures of Tejas which was participating in Dubai have started being discussed again on social media, in which some oil like substance is seen falling from the plane. It is being told that after flying, Tejas was standing on the tarmac. At the same time, some liquid like water or oil is seen falling in it. In social media accounts operating from Pakistan, it was said to be the reason for technical fault in LCA-Tejas.
After the false propaganda against Tejas on social media, PIB-Fact Check team of Government of India issued an official statement on X. PIB put an end to the false propaganda against Tejas and termed these news as completely fake i.e. false. According to PIB, in the viral video, water drops are falling from the aircraft, which is a routine process. This water was coming out from the fighter plane’s ECS i.e. Environmental Control System and on-board oxygen generating system, which is a standard procedure.
According to PIB, there was a conspiracy to show the technical capabilities of LCA Tejas as weak through oil spillage and technical flaws on social media. This was to create a false narrative and baseless propaganda against Tejas.
Second major crash of LCA Tejas
This is the second major crash of LCA Tejas in the last 20 months. Earlier in March 2024, during an important exercise of the Air Force in Pokhran, Rajasthan, Tejas had crashed on the outskirts of Jaisalmer city. In this exercise, Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself had come to review the operational capabilities of the Air Force. The Air Force has not made public the investigation report of LCA Tejas that crashed in Jaisalmer, but during that time too, like Dubai, Tejas had fallen to the ground like a free-fall. But during that time the pilot had ejected from the aircraft before the crash and was saved safely.
02 squadrons of Tejas are present in IAF.
LCA Tejas has been developed by the indigenous aviation company, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) with the help of DRDO (Defense Research and Development Organization). LCA Tejas was inducted into the Air Force in the year 2016. At present there are 02 squadrons of Tejas in the Air Force. One of these squadrons is stationed at Sulur Airbase (Coimbatore) in Tamil Nadu and the other at a forward airbase near the Pakistan border. During Operation Sindoor, LCA Tejas took part in air-space patrolling.
Defense Ministry’s agreement regarding Mark-1a jet
Last month, the first flight of Mark-1a, the advanced version of LCA Tejas, was conducted in the presence of Defense Minister Rajnath Singh in Nashik. In the year 2021, the Defense Ministry had signed a contract for 83 Mark-1a fighter aircraft from HAL, but due to the sourness in relations with America, the supply of LCA’s aviation engine (AF-404) was delayed by about two years. Under the agreement, till now HAL has been able to get only 4 engines from the American company GE-Aerospace.
In the month of September, the Defense Ministry had signed an agreement for 97 additional LCA-Mark-1a with HAL. In such a situation, the Air Force is likely to get a total of 180 LCA Tejas (Mark-1a) from HAL in the next decade. For these additional aircraft, HAL has once again signed a deal for 113 F-404 engines with GE-Aerospace earlier this month.