Indian fighter jet crashes during a demonstration flight at Dubai Air Show, killing the pilot

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An Indian fighter jet crashed Friday at the start of a demonstration flight in front of a crowd of spectators at the Dubai Air Show, killing its sole pilot.

The Indian HAL Tejas smashed into the ground at the vast Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central, sending a vast fireball into the air and thick black smoke into the sky. Police vehicles, ambulances and a helicopter rushed to the site of the crash, spraying firefighting foam to extinguish the blaze.

Onlookers, including families who gathered in a grand stand for the end of the air show Friday, gasped in horror and disbelief at the crash in this city-state in the United Arab Emirates. The airplane appeared to have lost control and dove directly toward the ground.

The Indian Air Force confirmed the crash and said “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,” it said in a statement. It said “a court of inquiry is being constituted, to ascertain the cause of the accident.”

Emirati crash investigators also will investigate the crash.

The city-state’s second airport hosts the biennial Dubai Air Show. This year's edition saw major aircraft orders by both the long-haul carrier Emirates and its lower-cost sister airline FlyDubai.

“Firefighting and emergency teams responded rapidly to the incident and are currently managing the situation on-site,” the Dubai Media Office, which responds to crises in the sheikhdom, said on X.

An SUV bearing diplomatic plates flying the Indian flag was seen at the site, along with police and emergency personnel.

The air show resumed flight demonstrations about an half and a hour afterward, with the Russian Knights flying overhead as emergency crews still worked the crash site.

Tejas is India’s indigenous fighter aircraft, built by state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. The lightweight, single-engine jet is expected to bolster India’s depleted fighter fleet as China expands its military presence in South Asia, including by strengthening defense ties with India’s rival Pakistan.

In September, India’s Defense Ministry signed a contract with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, or HAL, to procure 97 Tejas jets for the air force. Deliveries are expected to begin in 2027.

The Indian government also signed a deal with HAL in 2021 for 83 Tejas aircraft. Deliveries, expected last year, have been delayed largely because of shortages of engines that must be imported from the United States.

On Thursday, India’s Press Information Bureau rejected some social media claims alleging that a Tejas aircraft had experienced an oil leak while on display at the air show. In a statement on X, it called the posts “false” and said they were attempts to undermine the “fighter’s proven technical reliability with baseless propaganda.”

It was unclear whether the aircraft in question was the one that crashed on Friday. Social media footage showed some kind of liquid dripping from the aircraft into gathered bags beneath it.

“The videos show routine, intentional draining of condensed water,” the military said. “This is a standard procedure for aircraft operating in humid conditions, like those in Dubai.”

Dubai has seen high humidity and fog over the last two days as the seasons change in this nation on the Arabian Peninsula.