In a heartbreaking revelation, it has been reported that the father of Wing Commander Namansh Syal learnt about the tragedy while scrolling through YouTube for videos of his son in action
Jagan Nath Syal, the father of Wing Commander Namansh Syal, a retired school principal from Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, said he panicked when he saw news scrolls of an LCA Tejas having crashed at Dubai Airshow 2025. His immediate reaction was to try and get in touch with his daughter-in-law via phone, he told a daily. While he could not get her on the line, a bunch of Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel showed up at his doorsteps and he knew it was bad news, he added.
It was the late Wing Commander himself who had asked his father how and when to catch him in action. The senior citizen said that Namansh had called him in the morning and asked him to tune into television or YouTube around 4 in the evening. He did sit down to watch the performance but the search results threw up news of the Indian fighter jet crashing in Dubai instead.
Jagan Nath Syal and Veena Syal are reportedly spending their retirement life in Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu. He asked the IAF officers how long it will take to bring his late son home. While they did not have an exact answer, they said it will be not more than two days, Jagan Nath Syal was quoted as saying by the Indian Express. His wife is grieving and is not in a mental state to meet the press or make statements, he added.
LCA Tejas crashes in Dubai
WC Namansh Syal (34) was reportedly attempting a vertical take-off when the fighter jet crashed. The exact cause of the accident will be revealed only after an official Court of Inquiry.
"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. IAF deeply regrets the loss of life and stands firmly with the bereaved family in this time of grief. A Court of Inquiry is being constituted, to ascertain the cause of the accident," an IAF spokesperson said.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the maker of Tejas, said it is “deeply saddened” by Syal's death and expressed “heartfelt condolences” to his family.
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Jogindernath Syal, Namansh's uncle, told PTI Videos that the mortal remains of the Wing Commander reached the Sulur Air Force station near Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu around 9 am on Saturday, from where they will be flown to the Gaggal airport in Kangra on Sunday.
Namansh is survived by his father, mother, wife, who is also serving in the Air Force, and their six-year-old daughter. Namansh and his wife met during their first posting in Pathankot, and later got married in 2014.
