The Indian HAL Tejas, a combat aircraft used in the Indian Air Force, crashed around 2:10pm local time after the pilot had flown across the site of the biennial air show in Dubai several times.
The plane appeared to lose control and dive directly toward the ground just prior to crashing inside the grounds of the airfield.
The Indian Air Force confirmed the crash and said “the pilot sustained fatal injuries in the accident.”
Black smoke rose over the Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central as a crowd of spectators watched, and sirens sounded after the crash.
The city-state’s second airport was hosting the biennial Dubai Air Show, which has seen major aircraft orders by both the long-haul carrier Emirates and its lower-cost sister airline FlyDubai.