Video of Wing Commander Namansh Syal interacting with dignitaries at Dubai Airshow before fatal crash surfaces

A video has emerged of Indian Air Force pilot Wing Commander Namansh Syal — who died in the Tejas LCA Mk-1 crash at the Dubai Airshow on Friday — showing him at the event with dignitaries shortly before the tragedy.

In the footage, he is seen with Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth, India’s Ambassador to the UAE Deepak Mittal, and Additional Secretary (Gulf) in the Ministry of External Affairs Aseem R Mahajan. It is unclear when exactly the video was recorded during the airshow, which began on November 17 and was set to conclude on November 21.

Wing Commander Namansh Syal, an Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot, lost his life when a Tejas fighter jet crashed during a flying demonstration at the Dubai Air Show on Friday. The single-seat Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), went down at around 2:10 pm local time.

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The clip, now circulating on social media, shows the IAF pilot smiling and posing for photographs with his colleagues, Indian officials, and UAE dignitaries.