At 2.08 pm (local time) on Friday, the Indian Air Force's Tejas jet was performing an aerial manoeuvre, enthralling the audience gathered at the Dubai Airshow. The next minute, it appeared to lose balance before nosediving and crashing, sending thick black smoke billowing from the crash site. The pilot of the aircraft, which has a near-perfect safety record, died in the incident, the IAF confirmed.

It has led to one singular question: how did the Tejas crash? Experts have now decoded the last moments of the ill-fated Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), which witnessed only its second crash in its 24-year history.

Experts said the IAF pilot appeared to be executing a manoeuvre known as a barrel roll, in which the jet turns over and then back up again, completing a full axial rotation. While it i

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