For the people of Patiyalkar, a sleepy village in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district, the news of the death of local hero Namansh Syal – the IAF Wing Commander killed after a Tejas fighter jet crashed during an aerial display at the Dubai Air Show on Saturday – is yet to sink in.
The death of Wing Commander Namansh Sayal has left his native village in deep mourning.
For most of them, Namansh, who was in his mid-30s, remains an outstanding athlete distinguished by his dedication to the country, “who even set an example in death by diverting the aircraft to save thousands present at the mega air show”.
The 34-year-old pilot is survived by his wife, also an Indian Air Force (IAF) officer, their six-year-old daughter and his parents.
Relatives of Wing Commander Namansh Syal mourn his loss in the LCA Tejas crash in Dubai, at Patiyalkar village, in Kangra on Saturday. (ANI Photo)
Father was scrolling YouTube to find pilot’s video
Since early Saturday, heart-wrenching scenes have been witnessed at the Syal household in the Nagrota Bagwan area, with villagers trying to console the wailing family members mourning a life lost too soon.
Jagan Nath Syal, the father of Wing Commander Naman Syal who died in the Tejas fighter jet crash at Dubai Air Show Friday, was scrolling YouTube for videos of the air show when he saw reports about the deadly 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. Immediately, I called my daughter-in-law, who is also a Wing Commander, to check what happened. Moments later, at least six Air Force officers arrived at our house and I realised something bad happened to my son,” said Syal, a retired school principal from Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh.
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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. “We have made all arrangements for the cremation,” he said.
Relatives of Wing Commander Namansh Syal mourn his loss in the LCA Tejas crash in Dubai, at Patiyalkar village, in Kangra on Saturday. (ANI Video Grab)
Jogindernath came to know about the crash on Friday afternoon after Namansh’s father, who was not at home at the time, called him and asked if he had any information about the incident.
“My wife rushed to their tenant, who works in Qatar and had come to the village on a holiday. After scanning the latest news on the internet, he confirmed that it was Namansh who was flying the jet that crashed.
“I immediately contacted my brother to give him the tragic news. Initially, he did not believe what I said, and came to terms with reality only after I told him that it was confirmed information,” he told PTI Videos.
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Dead pilot’s wife also serves in Air Force
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.
“As soon as I came to know about the crash, I contacted Namansh’s family members. Initially, we thought he was injured. Sadly, we were wrong… A promising career came to an abrupt end,” Nagrota Bagwan SDM Manish Kumar Sharma said.
Namansh’s alma mater, the Sainik School at Sujanpur Tira in neighbouring Hamirpur district, is also struggling to come to terms with the tragic passing of one of its illustrious alumni.
Special prayer at alma mater
On Saturday, a special prayer meeting was held at the school during which principal Rachna Joshi and other teachers fondly remembered their former student.
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Rakesh Rana, a staff member, said Namansh was the captain of Chenab House, who was also an outstanding athlete. He also remembered the roll number – 1906 – of Namansh, who was part of the school’s 21st batch that passed out in 2005.
Many alumni of the school also shared photos and messages remembering their former schoolmate. Pankaj Chadha, former president of the Sainik School Sujanpur Old Boys Association, said Namansh brought glory to the country, and his martyrdom will always be remembered.
An IAF Tejas aircraft met with an accident during an aerial display at the Dubai Air Show. 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 statement by the Indian Air Force said.
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…
— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) November 21, 2025
The IAF said a court of inquiry is being constituted to ascertain the cause of the accident in which the pilot succumbed to fatal injuries.
The plane went down while performing an aerial display before a large crowd, local media reported.
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The single-engine lightweight aircraft crashed around 3.40 pm IST after Namansh had flown across the site during the demonstration flight. The aerial display of Tejas was scheduled to last eight minutes.
