Tejas crash: Wing Commander Namansh Syal was an IAF instructor, to be cremated in Kangra today

Shimla: Wing Commander Namansh Syal who perished in the Tejas crash at the Dubai Air Show on Friday was a high-flyer all his life — house captain in Sainik School, Academy Cadet Adjutant (ACC) at National Defence Academy, and an instructor with Indian Air Force, training the next generation of combat pilots.

The air warrior will be cremated at his ancestral village, Patialkar, in Kangra district's Nagrota Bagwan tehsil, on Sunday, his father Naib Subedar Jagan Nath (retd), an Army Medical Corps veteran, told TOI.


In a tragic twist, the 71-year-old said he was searching for videos of his son's aerial acrobatics at the air show when news reports popped up of the crash. Speaking to TOI over the phone from Sulur, the grief-stricken father said, "Then, officers from my son's squadron arrived to convey the tragic news."

When the family got the news, Namansh's wife, Wing Commander Afshan, was in Kolkata for a training course. The couple's six-year-old daughter was with her grandparents in Sulur, where Namansh was serving with No. 3 Squadron.

The high-achiever was an inspiration for hundreds not only in his hometown but also his alma mater, Sainik School Sujanpur Tira in Hamirpur district, and National Defence Academy.

The Sainik School held a remembrance meet on Saturday. He was part of the school's 21st batch, joining in Class IX and passing out in 2005. Group Captain Rachna Joshi, the school's principal, told TOI, "Teachers here tell me that he was exceptionally well in academics. Joining the school in Class IX and becoming the captain of Chenab House speaks volumes about him. He will continue to remain in our hearts forever as a braveheart," said the principal.

His ‘home' at NDA – Hunter Squadron – also held a remembrance meet for Namansh.

After his Class XII, Namansh enrolled in National Institute of Technology (NIT) Hamirpur but his heart was set on NDA. After his first semester at NIT, he cleared SSB and joined NDA 115th course in 2006. Excelling in academics, PT and Service subjects, he was appointed Academic Cadet Captain, and commanded NDA's passing-out parade in Nov 2008, earning the President's Silver Medal in overall merit.

Commissioned as a fighter pilot in Dec 2009, he flew MiG-21 and Su-30MKI before getting into the Tejas cockpit at Sulur AFS in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. At Hakimpet, he was a flying instructor on the Kiran trainer.

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