Tejas pilot's father reveals how he learned about son's tragic death

Tejas fighter jet crash: Father of IAF pilot was 'searching for his videos' when he learned about son's tragic death

Father of IAF pilot, who was onboard crashed Tejas fighter jet, made a strange revelation about how he came across the news of his son's demise. According to the father of the deceased Wing Commander Naman Syal, Jagan Nath Syal, he was browsing YouTube for videos of the Dubai Air Show when he learned about the fatal crash.

“I last spoke to my son yesterday. He told me to see his performance during the air show on TV channels or YouTube. Around 4 pm today, I was searching videos of the ongoing air show in Dubai on YouTube when I saw reports about the plane crash, " The Indian Express quoted Jagan Nath Syal as saying.

After he came across reports about the deadly crash, the retired school principal from Himachal Pradesh's Kangra district dialled his daughter-in-law, who is also a Wing Commander, to find out what happened. Remembering the unfortunate day of the crash, he informed the publication, “Moments later, at least six Air Force officers arrived at our house and I realised something bad happened to my son.”

Naman Syal is survived by his wife, their six-year-old daughter and his parents.

How did IAF pilot onboard Tejas fighter jet die?

Looking at the nature of the Tejas aircraft crash during the Dubai Air Show 2025, defence expert Captain Anil Gaur (Retd) speculated that the incident might have occurred due to the pilot losing control or a blackout due to the g-forces induced by gravity.

In an interview with ANI, Captain Gaur expressed condolences over the loss and said that the exact cause of the crash can only be determined through examination of the retrieved data from the cockpit. Speaking on the tragic happening, Captain Gaur said, "From the visuals, it seems that the jet lost control during the acrobatics, or there might have been a pilot blackout. Blackout here means the excessive gravitational force."

Suggesting that excessive g-forces might have caused blood to pool in the lower body, he added, “Pilots wear a G-suit so that the blood does not pool in their legs; there might have been an issue with that. What exactly happened can only be determined once the cockpit data is retrieved.” This could have potentially caused the pilot to blackout following which Tejas aircraft crashed and burst into flames.

Announcing the death of the IAF Pilot, Indian Air Force in a statement on Friday said, “An IAF Tejas aircraft met with an accident during an aerial display at the Dubai Air Show today. The pilot sustained fatal injuries in the accident. IAF deeply regrets the loss of life and stands firmly with the bereaved family in this time of grief.”

Source: LiveMint
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