India's Tejas jet crashes at Dubai air show, kills pilot; court of inquiry formed

New Delhi: India’s home-grown Tejas Light Combat Aircraft crashed in a ball of fire at Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai on Friday killing the pilot, in front of an audience which watched the shocking tragedy live.

“An IAF Tejas aircraft met with an accident during an aerial display at Dubai Air Show, today. The pilot sustained fatal injuries in the accident. A court of inquiry is being constituted, to ascertain the cause of the accident,” the Indian Air Force said in a statement.

“The IAF deeply regrets the loss of life and stands firmly with the bereaved family in this time of grief,” the force said, without revealing the identity of the pilot.

The plane went down around 2.10 pm local time on the last day of the Dubai International Air Show.

Videos circulating on social media showed the aircraft losing altitude at high speed and hitting the ground within a few seconds, bursting into a ball of flames on impact as onlookers watched in shock. A plume of smoke billowed from the crash site as emergency vehicles rushed towards it. The videos don’t show any ejection.

The aircraft is one of the 38 first generation Tejas LCA Mk-1 aircraft that Hindustan Aeronautics Limited supplied to the IAF so far. Delivery of more advanced Tejas LCA Mk-1A is yet to begin.

“A Tejas fighter aircraft from India participating in today’s flying display at the Dubai Airshow has crashed, resulting in the tragic death of the pilot. Firefighting and emergency teams responded rapidly to the incident and are currently managing the situation on-site,” Dubai Media Office said. It is the first crash in the history of the Dubai air show that began way back in 1986.

This is the second accident of the home-grown combat jet in the last two years. Last year another IAF Tejas-LCA crashed at Jaisalmer minutes after participating in a tri service exercise, but the pilot managed to eject safely.

Even though military aviation is inherently risky, the veterans in the IAF pointed out that the indigenous combat jet went from prototype to series production without a single hull loss, reflecting its excellent safety record. The Jaisalmer crash was the first one since its first flight nearly a quarter century ago.

Chief of the Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan said, "CDS and all ranks of Indian armed forces deeply regret the incident in which an IAF Tejas aircraft met with an accident during an aerial display at Dubai Air Show, today. The pilot sustained fatal injuries in the accident. We deeply regret the loss of life and stand firmly with the bereaved family in this time of grief.”

This is not HAL’s first brush with its aircraft crashing on a foreign soil. More than 15 years ago, HAL-made Dhruv Advanced Lightweight Helicopters crashed in Ecuador.

The Latin American country purchased seven ALH from HAL but unilaterally cancelled the deal in 2015 after four of the seven helicopters crashed.