New Delhi: Mourning the tragic loss of Wing Commander Namansh Syal, the Indian Air Force on Saturday said the air warrior was a “dedicated fighter pilot” and thorough professional, who served the nation with unwavering commitment, exceptional skill and an unyielding sense of duty.

Syal, who hailed from Himachal Pradesh, was killed on Friday after the indigenous multi-role Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), Tejas, crashed in a ball of fire during the aerial display at the Dubai Air Show.

The single-engine lightweight aircraft crashed around 2:10 pm local time (3.40 pm IST) after the pilot had flown across the site of the prestigious air show in Dubai during the demonstration flight. The aerial display of Tejas was scheduled to last for eight minutes.

The IAF in post on X shared a tribute note, remembering a fellow air warrior and his professional qualities.

“The Indian Air Force deeply mourns the tragic loss of Wg Cdr Namansh Syal, who lost his life in the unfortunate Tejas aircraft accident at the Dubai Air Show. A dedicated fighter pilot and thorough professional, he served the nation with unwavering commitment, exceptional skill and an unyielding sense of duty,” it said.

In its post, it also shared a photo of him in his IAF uniform and another one in his pilot overall and standing next to a fighter jet, besides a video of a send-off accorded to him after the tragic accident that claimed his life.

The video clip showed a group of uniformed personnel paying tribute, while some officials laid wreaths in front of a casket wrapped in the tricolour, bearing his mortal remains.

“His dignified persona earned him immense respect through a life devoted to service, and was visible in the send-off attended by UAE officials, colleagues, friends, and the officials of the Indian Embassy.

“The IAF stands in solidarity with his family in this hour of profound grief and honours his legacy of courage, devotion and honour. May his service be remembered with gratitude,” the IAF added in its post.

Syal is survived by his father, mother, wife, who is also serving in the Air Force, and their six-year-old daughter.

As the crash inside the grounds of an airfield in Dubai cast a tragic shadow on an otherwise mega spectacle on the last day of the event in the desert city, video footage of the accident showed the jet abruptly dropping height after what looked like a low-altitude manoeuvre and then nosedived into the ground in a matter of seconds before being engulfed in a ball of fire.

Black smoke billowed over the Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central, as horrified spectators, including women and children, assembled in large numbers at a grand stand area behind a fenced airstrip watched in shock.

The crash of a Tejas at the Dubai Air Show, was the second accident involving the indigenous multi-role LCA in less than two years

On March 12, 2024, a Tejas aircraft crashed near a residential colony in Jaisalmer while returning from tri-services military exercise ‘Bharat Shakti’ in Pokhran desert in what was the first accident involving the homegrown jet since it began flying in 2001.