Overview
- The HAL-built light combat aircraft went down around 2:10 pm local time during an aerobatic routine at Al Maktoum International Airport.
- Witness videos showed the jet losing altitude before impact, erupting into a fireball and sending thick black smoke over the showgrounds.
- Flying displays were suspended as emergency crews responded, and Dubai’s media office confirmed the pilot’s death.
- Authorities have not determined the cause or confirmed whether the pilot attempted to eject, with formal findings pending.
- This is the second known Tejas crash after a 2024 incident in India, focusing attention on the indigenous program as production scales up.