Indian fighter jet crashes during a demonstration flight at Dubai Air Show, killing the pilot

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An Indian fighter jet crashed Friday at the start of a demonstration flight in front of a crowd of spectators at the Dubai Air Show, killing its sole pilot.

The Indian HAL 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. Police vehicles, ambulances and a helicopter rushed to the site of the crash, spraying firefighting foam to extinguish the blaze.

Onlookers, including families who gathered in a grand stand for the end of the air show Friday, gasped in horror and disbelief at the crash in this city-state in the United Arab Emirates. The airplane appeared to have lost control and dove directly toward the ground.

The Indian Air Force confirmed the crash and said “the pilot sustained fatal injuries in the accident.”

“IAF deeply regrets the loss of life and stands firmly with the bereaved family in this time of grief,” it said in a statement. It said “a court of inquiry is being constituted, to ascertain the cause of the accident.”

Emirati crash investigators also will investigate the crash.

The city-state’s second airport hosts the biennial Dubai Air Show. This year's edition saw major aircraft orders by both the long-haul carrier Emirates and its lower-cost sister airline FlyDubai.

“Firefighting and emergency teams responded rapidly to the incident and are currently managing the situation on-site,” the Dubai Media Office, which responds to crises in the sheikhdom, said on X.

An SUV bearing diplomatic plates flying the Indian flag was seen at the site, along with police and emergency personnel.

The air show resumed flight demonstrations about an half and a hour afterward, with the Russian Knights flying overhead as emergency crews still worked the crash site.

Tejas is India’s indigenous fighter aircraft, built by state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. The lightweight, single-engine jet is expected to bolster India’s depleted fighter fleet as China expands its military presence in South Asia, including by strengthening defense ties with India’s rival Pakistan.

In September, India’s Defense Ministry signed a contract with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, or HAL, to procure 97 Tejas jets for the air force. Deliveries are expected to begin in 2027.

The Indian government also signed a deal with HAL in 2021 for 83 Tejas aircraft. Deliveries, expected last year, have been delayed largely because of shortages of engines that must be imported from the United States.

On Thursday, India’s Press Information Bureau rejected some social media claims alleging that a Tejas aircraft had experienced an oil leak while on display at the air show. In a statement on X, it called the posts “false” and said they were attempts to undermine the “fighter’s proven technical reliability with baseless propaganda.”

It was unclear whether the aircraft in question was the one that crashed on Friday. Social media footage showed some kind of liquid dripping from the aircraft into gathered bags beneath it.

“The videos show routine, intentional draining of condensed water,” the military said. “This is a standard procedure for aircraft operating in humid conditions, like those in Dubai.”

Dubai has seen high humidity and fog over the last two days as the seasons change in this nation on the Arabian Peninsula.

A Tejas fighter jet crashed in the western Indian state of Rajasthan last year, but the pilot ejected safely in that incident.

Saaliq reported from New Delhi.

Emergency services attend the scene after an Indian HAL Tejas crashed during a demonstration at the Dubai Air Show, at Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Friday Nov. 21, 2025. (Dubai Media Office via AP)

The Indian HAL Tejas during a demonstration moments before crashing at the Dubai Air Show, at Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Friday Nov. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)

The Indian HAL Tejas during a demonstration moments before crashing at the Dubai Air Show, at Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Friday Nov. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)

A bystander watches as an Indian HAL Tejas crashes during a demonstration at the Dubai Air Show, at Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Friday Nov. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)

A bystander watches as an Indian HAL Tejas crashes during a demonstration at the Dubai Air Show, at Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Friday Nov. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)

A Boeing 777X performs during the Dubai Air Show in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

Fursan Al Emarat, the aerobatics demonstration team of the United Arab Emirates Air Force, performs during the Dubai Air Show in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

People walk at the Dubai Air Show in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

FILE - Passengers leave the baggage handling hall at the Dubai International Airport in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Oct. 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File)

Emirati men take photos of Fursan Al Emarat, the aerobatics demonstration team of the United Arab Emirates Air Force during the Dubai Air Show in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

This is the sun's time to shine: Sunday is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

Sunday is the solstice, marking the start of astronomical summer north of the equator. It’s the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere, where it is the shortest day of the year and winter will start.

The word “solstice” comes from the Latin words “sol,” for sun, and “stitium,” which can mean “pause” or “stop.” The summer solstice is the end of the sun’s annual march higher in the sky, when it makes its longest, highest arc. The bad news for sun lovers: It then starts retreating and days will get a little shorter every day until late December.

People have marked solstices for eons with festivals and monuments, including Sweden's midsummer eve celebrations and Stonehenge, which was designed to align with the sun’s paths at the solstices.

Here’s what to know about the Earth’s orbit.

As the Earth travels around the sun, it does so at an angle, making the sun’s warmth and light fall unequally on the northern and southern halves of the planet for most of the year.

The solstices mark the times when the Earth is tipped most extremely either toward or away from the sun. This means the hemispheres are getting very different amounts of sunlight, and days and nights are at their most unequal.

At the Northern Hemisphere’s summer solstice, the Earth’s upper half is leaning toward the sun, creating the longest day and shortest night of the year. The summer solstice falls between June 20 and 22. This year it’s June 21.

The opposite happens at the Northern Hemisphere winter solstice: the Earth’s upper half leans the furthest away from the sun, leading to the shortest day and longest night of the year. The winter solstice falls between Dec. 20 and 23.

During the equinox, the Earth’s tilt is neither toward the sun nor away from the sun, so both the northern and southern hemispheres get an equal amount of sunlight. The sun rises almost exactly due east and it sets almost exactly due west.

The word equinox comes from two Latin words meaning equal and night. That’s because on the equinox, day and night last almost the same amount of time — though one may get a few extra minutes, depending on where you are on the planet.

The Northern Hemisphere’s fall — or autumnal — equinox can land between Sept. 21 and 24, depending on the year. Its spring — or vernal — equinox can land between March 19 and 21. The exact time of the equinox is the moment the sun is directly overhead at the equator.

These are just two different ways to carve up the year.

While astronomical seasons depend on how the Earth moves around the sun, meteorological seasons are defined by the weather. Meteorologists break down the year into three-month seasons based on annual temperature cycles. By that calendar, spring starts on March 1, summer on June 1, fall on Sept. 1 and winter on Dec. 1.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

FILE - Kansas City Royals second baseman Michael Massey (19) and shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., right, return to the dugout during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Friday, June 12, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

FILE - Soccer fans sit on a bench overlooking Lumen Field stadium at sunset during the 2026 World Cup in Seattle, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)

FILE - Revelers gather at the ancient stone circle Stonehenge to celebrate the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, near Salisbury, England, Wednesday, June 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)