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Cause of fatal Indian Tejas fighter crash hotly discussed by media and experts as investigation underway

Global Times

By Liu Xuanzun and Liang Rui Published: Nov 22, 2025 05:24 PM

After an Indian Air Force Tejas fighter jet crashed during a flight demonstration at the Dubai Airshow on Friday, media and analysts have been discussing the possible cause of the fatal incident as thorough investigation is reportedly underway, with some Indian media outlets triggered by online comments and defending the quality of the Indian aircraft.

The 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, the AP reported on Friday, noting that the airplane appeared to have lost control and dove directly toward the ground.

According to the AP report, the Indian Air Force (IAF) confirmed the crash and said the pilot sustained fatal injuries in the "accident." "A court of inquiry is being constituted, to ascertain the cause of the accident," it said in a statement.

This is not the first crash of the Indian fighter jet. A Tejas crashed near Jaisalmer in Rajasthan on March 12, 2024, minutes after participating in a tri-services exercise showcasing India's progress toward self-reliance in the defense manufacturing sector, the Hindustan Times reported. The pilot ejected safely in that incident, according to the report.

In a Saturday news program on Indian media outlet Firstpost, anchor Palki Sharma accused Pakistani journalists and online accounts of launching a wave of mockery - targeting the pilot, the aircraft and the Indian Air Force. She stressed that there is no confirmation yet on whether it was mechanical failure or human error, and claimed that this is only the second Tejas crash in 24 years.

Another news program by Indian media outlet Republic World asked a question over the Tejas crash: why did an American company supply its engines for India's Tejas fighter jet, instead of India building its own from scratch? The program raised the question - are India's indigenous defense dreams being undermined by external dependencies?

Discussing the possible cause of the crash, Indian media outlet NDTV reported on Friday that the Tejas fighter jet was executing a negative G turn before it slammed the ground.

While only a thorough investigation can find out what went wrong, the videos from the airshow indicated the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas suddenly lost altitude while trying to regain level flight after completing a loop maneuver, NDTV said.

Negative G in aviation refers to forces acting on an aircraft and its contents in the opposite direction of normal gravity. These forces are typically experienced during aerobatic maneuvers, sudden descent, or severe turbulence. If not properly managed, negative G can lead to disorientation or loss of consciousness of the pilot due to blood pooling in the head, according to the NDTV report.

The War Zone, a US media outlet specialized on defense, also noted that the Tejas was performing a low-altitude maneuver as part of its display. The pilot appears to perform a negative G "push turn" toward the crowd before attempting to roll out. The jet then descended rapidly and impacted the ground.

After viewing the video, Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Saturday that while the negative G could play a role in the crash, the maneuver the Tejas performed before its crash was not likely one that could cause such a high G force that could lead to the pilot's disorientation or loss of consciousness.

The NDTV report also noted that pilots undergo specific training to manage and mitigate the effects of negative G forces during flight operations.

Fu said that, based on the flow of the whole loop maneuver, the aircraft did not pull up early enough. It is possible that the pilot was not quick enough to make the move, or the control system of the aircraft malfunctioned.

Ahead of the crash, videos circulated on social media showing a Tejas suffering an oil leakage at the Dubai Airshow. The Indian Press Information Bureau's Fact Check unit claimed that the videos in circulation show a routine, intentional procedure and not a technical malfunction, according to a Thursday report by Indian news outlet the Economic Times.

Fu said that ground maintenance is also a key factor in aircraft performance. Many previous accident cases were caused by the lack of ground maintenance. But the true cause of the Tejas crash still needs more details and investigation.

After the vintage Russian-origin MiG-21 was decommissioned recently, the LCA Tejas was billed as the next workhorse of the IAF, NDTV said.

The War Zone said, however, the latest crash is a blow to the Indian aerospace industry, coming as it does on one of the world's most prominent stages.