Indian fighter jet Tejas crashed during a flying display at the Dubai Airshow on Friday, killing the pilot, and people on the internet were quick to point out the reason — though no official clarification has been provided yet.
Talks of technical issues with the Indian fighter jet had been circulating for days after a video reportedly showed an "oil leak".
However, Indian officials refuted the reports about an oil leak, saying that the "fluid observed was part of a routine draining process, not a technical malfunction".
In a post on X, India's Press Information Bureau (PIB) stated that the fluid observed coming from the Tejas was part of a standard pre-flight procedure to remove condensation.
The PIB termed the video a "false narrative", being pushed to "undermine the fighter's proven technical reliability".
However, netizens were quick to highlight the video after the deadly crash, noting that the Indian Air Force flew the fighter jet despite the technical issues.
Meanwhile, defence expert Air Marshal (retd) Asim Saleem said that such crashes were not unusual during "risky air aerobatics".
"Since you are free-styling with the plane and are extremely close to the ground, therefore, the margin of error is zero," he said while speaking to Geo News.
According to Air Marshal Saleem, such crashes typically result from either pilot error or technical problems with the aircraft.
He, however, pointed out the oil leak video, saying that there were "more chances of a technical problem in this instance".
"Their air chief also made a statement that the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited's products are substandard and they aren’t satisfactory as per the Indian Air Force's standards," he said.
He also added that the pressure of participating in such shows, where both the fighter jet and the pilot are in the spotlight, increases the likelihood of a mistake.