Wing Commander Afshan Akhtar, an Indian Air Force (IAF) officer, paid her final respects to her husband, Wing Commander Namansh Syal, who died in a Tejas aircraft crash during an aerial display at the Dubai Air Show on 21 November.

Akhtar saluted his mortal remains as the last rites were performed in the family’s ancestral village of Patialkar in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district on 23 November, ANI reported.

Syal, 34, lost his life when the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas crashed and caught fire around 2.10 pm local time during the concluding day of the Dubai Air Show 2025. The accident prompted the IAF to order a court of inquiry into the cause of the crash. 

Who was Wing Commander Namansh Syal?

The IAF and Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu confirmed Syal’s identity soon after the crash. A native of Kangra district, Syal was known as a committed officer and an exceptional athlete, according to an ANI report.

He is survived by his wife Afshan, their six-year-old daughter Aarya, and his parents. His uncle, Madan Lal, remembered him as a brilliant child who always excelled in academics, saying, “This is a huge loss for the nation. He had a sharp mind and stood first in school.”

Mortal remains brought home with full military honours

Syal’s mortal remains were flown back to India by an IAF C-130 aircraft and received with full military honours at the Sulur Air Force Station near Coimbatore early on 23 November. After the dignified ceremony, they were transported to his ancestral village in Kangra for the final rites.

In a statement, the IAF said:

“The Indian Air Force undertook the solemn repatriation of the mortal remains of Wing Commander Namansh Syal… for the last rites with full military honours. All personnel of Southern Air Command stand in solidarity with the bereaved family in this moment of profound loss.”

 

Tejas crash: What we know so far

The HAL Tejas fighter crashed during a display sortie at the Dubai Air Show 2025 on 21 November. A court of inquiry has been ordered to establish the cause of the accident.

This is the second Tejas crash in 20 months; a previous accident occurred on 12 March 2024 near Jaisalmer, where the pilot safely ejected. The Tejas has been in service since its first flight in 2001.