HAL Tejas fighter crash: IAF, Himachal CM Sukhu identify deceased pilot as Kangra native Namansh Syal — All we know

HAL Tejas fighter jet crash: The Indian Air Force (IAF) and Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on 21 November identified the pilot who lost his life in the HAL Tejas fighter jet crash at the Dubai Air Show 2025 today.

In a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), condoling the death, Sukhu noted that the deceased pilot, Namansh Syal, was from Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh.

What did CM Sukhu say? Who is Naman Sayal?

The IAF in a brief statement identified the dead pilot as Wing Commander Namansh Syal. Meanwhile, Sukhu identified the deceased pilot as hailing from Kangra in Himachal Pradesh and expressed condolences to his bereaved family.

No other details were available yet.

“The news of the demise of Naman(sh) Syalji, the brave son of Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh in the Tejas plane crash at the Dubai Air Show is extremely sad and heartbreaking. The country has lost a brave, dedicated and courageous pilot,” Sukhu wrote in his post, in Hindi.

He added, “I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved family. Salute to the brave son. Heartfelt salute to the indomitable bravery, dedication and devotion towards the service of the nation of Syalji.”

Tejas fighter aircraft crash: Top highlights

• The Indian Air Force on 21 November said that the pilot of a Tejas aircraft was killed after the jet crashed and burst into flames around 2.10 PM local time during a flight demonstration on the last day of the Dubai Air Show 2025 at the AI Maktoum International Airport.
• “An IAF Tejas aircraft met with an accident during an aerial display at the Dubai Air Show 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,” the official statement read.
• The IAF added that a court of inquiry is being constituted to probe the cause of the accident.
• Tejas is an indigenous, single-engine, multi-role Light Combat Aircraft produced by state-run aerospace giant Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL).
• This is the second such crash involving the jet in 20 months (1.8 years), since it began flying in 2001.
• An earlier crash of the HAL Tejas jet was reported in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, on 12 March 2024. The jet crashed near a residential colony while returning from tri-services military exercise ‘Bharat Shakti’ near Pokhran desert, where the pilot ejected safely.

(With inputs from Agencies)