An Indian Air Force (IAF) Tejas fighter jet crashed during a flying display at the Dubai Air Show on Friday, killing the pilot and halting aerial demonstrations for the afternoon. The accident occurred around 2:10 pm local time as the aircraft was performing a manoeuvre at Al Maktoum International Airport.

Footage from the venue showed the light combat aircraft losing altitude sharply before striking the ground and bursting into flames near the runway. Thick smoke was visible across the air show grounds as emergency crews rushed to the site.

The IAF confirmed the pilot’s death in a statement posted on X, saying the service “deeply regrets the loss of life” and has ordered a court of inquiry to determine what went wrong. Authorities said there were no injuries on the ground.

The aircraft

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