 "Wing Commander Afshan fighting back tears as she stood in uniform and saluted her husband, Wing Commander Namansh Syal, one final time. The IAF officer lost his life after his Tejas fighter jet crashed during the Dubai air show . PTI")
The Indian Air Force and the nation mourned deeply when Wing Commander Namansh Syal lost his life in a tragic Tejas fighter jet crash at the Dubai Air Show on Friday. Among those mourning him was his wife, Wing Commander Afshan, who is also a serving IAF officer.
Syal’s mortal remains were brought to his ancestral village, Patialkar, in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district, where his last rites were conducted with full military honours.
In one of the most heartbreaking moments, Wing Commander Afshan stood by his garlanded coffin and gave him a final salute, her eyes brimming with tears as she said her last goodbye.
Who is Wing Commander Afshan?
According to The Times of India, Wing Commander Afshan was commissioned into the Indian Air Force in December 2011.
The IAF officer was in Kolkata attending a training course when she got the devastating news of her husband’s passing.
Wing Commander Syal , an alumnus of Sainik School Sujanpur Tira, was commissioned into the IAF in December 2009. He had been posted at the Sulur Air Force Station in Tamil Nadu when his squadron was tasked with participating in the Dubai Air Show.
The Air Force remembered him as a committed officer and an exceptional fighter pilot who served with “unwavering commitment, exceptional skill and an unyielding sense of duty.”
In a tribute, the IAF said, “His dignified persona earned him immense respect through a life devoted to service, and was visible in the send-off attended by UAE officials, colleagues, friends, and the officials of the Indian Embassy. The IAF stands in solidarity with his family in this hour of profound grief and honours his legacy of courage, devotion and honour. May his service be remembered with gratitude.”
Wing Commander Syal is survived by his wife, their six-year-old daughter Aarya, and his parents.
A tearful goodbye
When his body reached Patialkar village, hundreds gathered to pay their last respects. A video doing the rounds on social media showed Wing Commander Afshan fighting back tears as she stood in uniform and saluted her husband one final time.
Villagers and friends described him as someone who made the community proud.
Pankaj Chadha, his schoolmate from Sainik School Sujanpur Tira, told News18, “We have lost one of our gems. He was the pride of our school. We will go to his native village, Patialkar. He made all of us very proud.”
Another villager, Sandeep Kumar, said, “Everyone in our village is sad. He was like our younger brother. This should not have happened. We do not have words. We met him 3-4 months ago when he visited our village.”
His father, Jagan Nath Syal, said his son’s sacrifice was not just a personal loss but a great loss for the nation. He described him as an exceptional aerobatic and highly trained pilot.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu expressed grief over the loss, saying that “a brave son of India taken far too soon”.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh called him a “brave and courageous IAF pilot” and offered condolences to the bereaved family.
Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan said the armed forces stand firmly with the family.
What happened at the Dubai air show?
A new video from the Dubai air show, which is one of the world’s largest aviation exhibitions, revealed clearer details of the moments leading up to the crash.
The footage showed Wing Commander Syal attempting to eject, but the aircraft was flying too low for the ejection to succeed.
The Tejas was performing a low-altitude aerobatic move when it suddenly crashed and burst into flames. A parachute-like object appeared around the 49–52 second mark, indicating a last-second attempt to escape.
Investigators believe the pilot may have been trying to regain control of the jet. Tejas is a single-seat Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) developed by the Bengaluru-headquartered Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
The exact cause is still under investigation. The IAF has ordered a court of inquiry to determine what led to the tragic accident.
This was the second accident involving a Tejas aircraft in less than two years. In March last year, a Tejas jet had crashed in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer, with the pilot ejecting safely.
With input from agencies