Analysis : Did IAF SU-30 Pilots Ejected in Panic !

[Gripen9]

It was a jammed stabilizer. Aircraft pitched down to the ground, they were flying around 400-500 feet AGL which isn't a lot of altitude in giving out a clear margin to eject if the aircraft suddenly pitches down. My dad was in one of the F-16s from No. 14 Squadron ahead of the Mirage group. The stick jammed, causing the aircraft to pitch down, Saeed Iqbal ejected but the parachute did not deploy fully. It was either the A-5s or the F-6s that saw the crash and the lead for A-5s gave the call that an aircraft has crashed once all the aircraft were clear of the parade ground.

The second one was very tragic. His wingmen were screaming to him to eject but he didn't make it.

I’ll take your dad’s word. I was told it was due to a bird strike and he cleared the westridge rail yards. I kind of witnessed it in real life. I could see the formations go past my balcony before they got to Race Course ground 3-4 seconds later. They used to synch the fly past to Zia IK Haq’s speech end. He finished his speech but there was a significant delay. There was a missing plane in the box formation.