Wing Commander Namansh Syal of the Indian Air Force died after his HAL Tejas fighter jet crashed during an aerial display at the Dubai Air Show 2025 on Friday. A video surfaced showing the 34-year-old pilot from Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district standing with Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth, India’s envoy to the UAE Deepak Mittal, and MEA Additional Secretary (Gulf) Aseem R Mahajan before the crash.

He is survived by his wife, also an IAF officer, their six-year-old daughter, and his parents. A grieving relative said, “The entire village is very sad today.” Another added, “He was supposed to get a promotion. At 34, he was a squadron leader. He was a very humble man.”

The crash, occurring near Al Maktoum International Airport, happened around 2:10 pm local time during a low-al

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