An Indian Tejas fighter jet crashed at the Dubai Air Show today, marking only the second tragic incident involving the indigenous model in over 24 years since its first test flight in 2001. The first crash of the Tejas had occurred in Rajasthan during a training sortie. The pilot had ejected safely, and no injury was reported on the ground.
Today, the pilot failed to eject before the crash. He died.
2024: First-Ever Tejas Crash
On March 12, 2024, a Tejas jet had taken off for a training sortie in Jaisalmer. Around 2 pm, the plane crashed on the ground of a student's hostel located near the Lakshmi Chand Sanwal Colony. There was a loud explosion, and the wreckage went up in flames.
The Air Force confirmed that the pilot ejected. A witness also saw the pilot ejecting and a parachute open soon after.
A video later showed the unmanned jet gliding at a low altitude and moving right to left in the camera frame before it crashed with its landing gear open. The pilot was seen opening the parachute and descending toward the ground.
A Court of Inquiry was constituted to find out the cause of the accident.
The first Tejas crash had evoked safety concerns in the military aviation circle. However, a senior official at the manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) had dismissed any such concern. The Tejas maintained an unblemished safety record, and the flying status of all 40 Tejas aircraft, part of their previous order, was fine, DK Sunil, CMD at HAL, had told NDTV.
The aircraft was "absolutely safe," he asserted.
The Tejas is a light combat aircraft that was inducted into the Indian Air Force in 2016. It was first operated by the No. 45 Squadron, also known as the 'Flying Daggers.' The No. 18 Squadron was the second unit to start operating it in 2020. It is a multi-role fighter aircraft designed for offensive air support and close combat support for ground operations. It is the smallest and lightest aircraft in its class. The dimensions and the extensive use of the composite structure make it lighter.
