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Fact Check
A viral video shows the IAF Tejas jet crashing during the recent Dubai Airshow.
The claim is false. The video does not show the IAF’s Tejas; it captures a Polish Air Force F-16 crashing during an airshow rehearsal in Poland.
After the tragic crash involving an Indian Air Force Tejas fighter jet during a demonstration at the Dubai Airshow, an incident in which Wing Commander Namansh Syal lost his life, multiple misleading posts surfaced online. Among them was a widely shared video claiming to show the exact moment the Tejas went down at Al Maktoum International Airport.
The viral clip features a fighter jet performing a high-energy barrel roll, suddenly losing control, striking the ground, and erupting into flames as it slides across the runway. Many social media users circulated the footage believing it to be the Dubai incident.
A reverse image search of a frame from the viral clip directed us to a YouTube Short uploaded by NBC News on August 29, 2025. The video was titled: “Video captures the moment an F-16 jet crashes during preparations for an air show in Poland.”
The description states that this was a Polish Air Force F-16 that crashed during an airshow rehearsal, resulting in the pilot’s death.
A keyword search led to a Reuters report published the same day, headlined:
“F-16 Pilot Killed After Fighter Jet Crashes in Poland During Airshow Rehearsal.”
Reuters reported that the aircraft crashed in Radom, central Poland, during rehearsal, killing a Polish Army pilot. Poland’s deputy prime minister and defence minister, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, described the incident as a “great loss for the Air Force.”He wrote on X:A Polish Army pilot died in the crash of an F-16 aircraft—an officer who always served his country with dedication and great courage.”
A report by Gulf News, published on November 22, 2025, confirmed that the IAF Tejas crashed during a flying demonstration at the Dubai Airshow on that date. This establishes that the viral clip, recorded on 28 August 2025 in Poland, predates the Dubai incident by several months and therefore cannot be related.
The viral video does not show the IAF Tejas jet crash at the Dubai Airshow. It shows a Polish Air Force F-16 crashing during an airshow rehearsal in Radom, Poland, in August 2025.The claim is false.
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FAQs
1. Does the viral video show the IAF Tejas jet crash in Dubai?
No. The video actually shows a Polish Air Force F-16 that crashed in Radom, Poland.
2. Did a Tejas aircraft really crash at the Dubai Airshow?
Yes. The IAF confirmed that a Tejas aircraft crashed during a flying demonstration, resulting in the death of Wing Commander Namansh Syal. But the viral video is unrelated.
3. Where did the jet crash shown in the viral video occur?
The crash took place in Radom, central Poland, during an airshow rehearsal.
4. How was the original source of the video identified?
Through reverse image search, which traced the footage to an NBC News YouTube upload from August 29, 2025.
5. Did the Polish F-16 pilot survive the crash?
No. Reuters confirmed that the Polish Air Force pilot died in the incident.
Sources
NBC News, August 29, 2025
Reuters, August 29, 2025
Gulf News, November 22, 2025
False
Kushel Madhusoodan
November 24, 2025
Vasudha Beri
March 5, 2025
Vasudha Beri
September 29, 2025
