Air shows are supposed to be fun activities with good entertainment and unimaginable stunts. But sometimes they end up in a plane crash and, even worse yet, a person could die. Such was the case when an Indian HAL Tejas combat jet crashed on Nov. 21 at the Dubai Air Show.
Plane crashes are a complicated event for all pilots worldwide. No matter what level of experience they may be, it’s always a possibility. Sometimes a pilot can get lucky and make a safe crash landing, and sometimes they can cause damage or harm to the people who are around the scene of the landing. But the hope always remains for people to get out alive.
For the Tejas combat jet, as the crash was ongoing — everyone was holding their breath hoping for the pilot to eject at the last minute. But the maneuver was far too low and too fast for any hope of that. One pilot at the scene took to X, posting a clip of the fatal accident while sending condolences to the family of the pilot.
BREAKING: India's Tejas Fighter Jet Has Just Crashed At The Dubai Airshow During A Flight Demonstration. pic.twitter.com/k5gX4epuJx
— John Basham (@JohnBasham) November 21, 2025
As an aviator a plane crash is always heart breaking and especially if a pilot loses his life. Watching this Indian Air Force Teja go down today at the Dubai Air Show was a terrible feeling. Our heartfelt condolences to the pilot and his family. pic.twitter.com/IJ5cmtmfhU
— Fakhr-e-Alam S.I & S.E (@falamb3) November 21, 2025
Reuters reported another attendee saying, “I could see three different fireballs when it collided with the ground,” he added, “Everybody in the crowd stood up there on their feet, and then maybe in around 30 seconds, the emergency vehicles rushed over to the location at the crash site.”
The UAE Ministry of Defense responded rapidly at the scene. But there was little they could do beyond extinguishing the fire and ensuring everyone close to the scene was safe. Unfortunately, recently there has been an upsurge of flight incidents, and for most fliers the hope is just that the level of safety on trips doesn’t get any worse than it already is. Air shows, believe it or not, are meant to improve that trust over time.
The Indian Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Anil Chauhan, told the press that the Indian Army was aware of the tragic situation and are deeply regretful of how things turned out. There is still no information about what caused the crash, and considering it’s the army, the likelihood of that information ever coming out is very low.
This happened on the very last day of the Dubai Air Show. The event has been a tradition in the growing city and is in its 19th year. When it first started, it was just a small demonstration of the ambition of what the UAE could be. Over the years it has grown to hosting the biggest companies such as Lockheed Martin and Boeing and hosts an audience of up to 80,000 people.
It has since turned into one of the marquee events for aviators where airlines broker deals and private jet owners go to meet potential pilots for their very expensive planes. It benefits everyone involved to showcase just how much these planes and pilots can achieve.
But perhaps this will end up serving as a turning point on how to improve the safety measures at the event. Sad situations such as this should not occur.
